A bogey at the 18th denied Darren Clarke his first Top 10 on the European Tour since he won the Open nearly four years ago.

"Well that was just ........ I'll let you insert the missing word."

That was Shane Lowry's tweet after opening the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters with 76 that began with an eagle three and ended with a birdie. 

The rest, especially the homeward nine of 41 blows, was clearly forgettable for the Clara man, who hasn't played four satisfying rounds in the same event since he was third in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews last September. Even then, the final round left him feeling gutted as what could have been a huge win slipped through his fingers.