Monday, April 28, 2008
Clarke King Again

Darren Clarke held on to win the BMW Asian Open on Sunday.

Clarke, who carried a one-stroke lead into the final round, finished with an eight-under total of 280, after carding a one-over 73 at the $2.3 million tournament.

It was Dazza's first tournament win since his wife, Heather, died of cancer in August 2006.

"It was always going to be a difficult hurdle for me to get back into the winner's enclosure after Heather passed away... It's a big mental hurdle that I have crossed today," a chuffed Clarke said.

Clarke's victory, which earned him 383,000 dollars, was his first win on the European Tour since 2003 and his 11th in total.

He said it was the most important victory of his career as it cemented his golfing comeback following his wife's death.

"Sometimes there's a black hole. It's not easy to see through," Clarke said as he spoke of the deep emotional turmoil he has endured since his wife died.

In that respect, Clarke dedicated his victory to his sons, aged nine and seven.

Darren Clarke, smoking.

"This win is for Tyrone and Conor," he said, while also thanking all his friends who had supported him over the past 20 months.

Clarke, who for many years had been a mainstay in Europe's Ryder Cup team, had watched his world ranking plummet out of the top 50 to 236 at the start of the BMW Asian Open.

He said his win on Sunday was the result of practising 10-12 hours a day.

"I've been working harder than I've ever worked on all aspects of my game. It's nice to see it pay off," he said.

"On the last green I gathered myself and said: 'Right, hit a good putt'. Luckily I did," a beaming Clarke said.

Derksen paid tribute to Clarke afterwards.

"Darren holed a good putt and that's his day," said Derksen, who was bidding for his third win on the European Tour.

"It was a great match... he's a great winner."

Clarke said he would now strive to return to the world's top 50 and get his place back in Europe's Ryder Cup team.

We say congratulations Clarke we’re glad to see you back on the way up. You can see why when Claude Harmon III dissects Darren’s swing in the next issue of GOLFPUNK out 06th May.

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4/28/2008 4:19:55 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

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