Darren Clarke's grim features told it all. He could hardly believe he had shot 10 strokes worse than his 1992 Nord Echenried course record as a closing 72 in the BMW International Open in Munich left him way off the mark in his bid to be European number one.

Clarke proved the enigma all week and that cost him yesterday as he finished on 11-under-par, seven strokes behind the man the players refer to as "Humpty".

Russell Claydon certainly did not fall off the wall this time, however. The 18-stone Englishman finally ended his frustrating run of seven second places over nine years to pick up his first European Tour first prize.

Claydon's wall was the huge bank of supporters urging Bernhard Langer on to his first BMW International title, the only German pot he does not have in the trophy cabinet.

But Claydon, a 32-year-old with the curious but effective short-arm jab for a swing who finished second to Greg Norman in the 1989 Australian Masters as an amateur, finished with a 68 and 18-under-par, one better than fellow Englishman Jamie Spence.

He single-putted eight of the last 11 holes, five in succession from the eighth, to move past Langer and earn the £141,660 first prize. Langer suffered the indignity of allowing his young compatriot and protege Thomas Goegele to steal past him by a stroke, too, for third place, two behind Claydon. How Clarke would have coveted Claydon's putting prowess. It was the putter which left him undone, he said, although a five-wood at the ninth played a major part, too. "I didn't really play badly at all, it was the putter which went cold on me," he said. A £13,000 prize left him second on the order of merit, £43,000 short of Lee Westwood.

"I just didn't expect to shoot 72. In fact, a 72 was the last thing in the world I expected, certainly not what I wanted."

He was deflated because on Saturday he had claimed his "best round of golf for three months" when clambering on to the leaderboard, three shots adrift of leaders Langer and Claydon.

When he at last worked out how to play the third, birdieing it whereas before it had cost him two bogeys and a double-bogey, he edged only two shots off the lead.

But then he bogeyed the fourth by taking a wrong club and hitting over the green before missing an eight-footer. He got that back with a chip close on the long sixth but then missed the seventh green and a five-foot save.

His real watershed, though, was the long ninth, where he went for the green over the burn even though he had a poor sloping lie. His five-wood attempt merely hastened his ball into the ditch and Clarke's bid to overtake West wood on the order of merit looked over.

Birdies on the long 11th, with two putts, and short 12th, with a 12-footer, gave him brief hope he might secure second spot and take over on top in Europe. But he missed the 14th green then missed the 12-foot saving putt and that hope was gone as Claydon and Spence moved beyond reach.

Only two Irishmen made it to the weekend. Eamonn Darcy had moved to 17th on Saturday but slipped back to 26th with a 73 for six-under-par which earned him £7,573 towards his medical bills - he is trying to get his back in shape for the Seniors.

Paul McGinley, Ian Woosnam and Colin Montgomerie were in action yesterday, even though none made the cut. McGinley's action entailed a call on his mobile telephone while driving to catch a ferry to Ireland. He was questioned about a free-drop Woosnam took on Friday from near a sprinkler-head and the explanation left Woosnam disqualified.

Neither Woosnam nor McGinley realised that free-drops because a sprinkler-head is on a line are no longer allowed. Woosnam should have incurred a two-stroke penalty and signed for a wrong score.

Montgomerie missed a second consecutive cut but offered to act as marker for the singleton of the 67 qualifiers yesterday. He even rose at 5 a.m. to do so, and was rewarded with a confidence-boosting 66 before heading up the mountain to Crans sur Sierre for the European Masters.

Clarke is heading there too, hoping this time he can climb to number one.