Clarke secures a higher tour ranking

Darren Clarke stalked his 20-foot birdie putt on the home green. Three feet from the hole the gallery around the 18th began to murmur in appreciation, rising to a din when the putt dropped; a birdie, a round of 68, a cheque for $308,000 (€248,427) and a share of fourth place in the World Golf Championship at Mount Juliet.

It was no more than the Ulsterman deserved, as no one had played better over the weekend, not even the eventual winner, Ernie Els.

Clarke entertained no thoughts of winning setting out yesterday morning, his goal instead to secure as a high a finish as possible in trying to cement a place in the Tour Championship in the United States. This tournament is limited to the top 30 on the US Tour money standings.

The Irishman had started the week in 33rd place but given his performance at Mount Juliet he will move up the rankings, probably into the top 25.

"Hopefully I'll move up after this and if I don't make it back in then I'll look at playing another tournament in the States, either Disney or Tampa." Clarke's schedule may also include the World Cup in Seville.

There was the supposition that he would stand aside and allow the partnership of Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley to continue representing Ireland, a statistic that dates to their victory in the event at Kiawah Island in 1997.

The pair have competed in every World Cup since.

The assumption was given further credence by the fact Chubby Chandler, who manages Clarke and McGinley, had asked the latter to defer a knee operation that would have sidelined him for two months until after the World Cup.

Clarke will play a tournament in Japan the week before Seville and has to fulfil a corporate day with one of his sponsors, Barclays, on the Monday. He would then have to fly home from Tokyo, before heading for Spain, and to complicate matters is due to head for South Africa the following week. Clarke though refuses to balk at the schedule.

"I haven't said that I am not playing in the World Cup. I do want to play and at the moment I have some contractual obligations but am looking at whether it is possible to get out of those."

Clarke got off to an ideal start when he holed his 109-yard pitching wedge second shot to the first hole for eagle. Once again he played some exquisite golf tee to green but could not convert enough chances on the putting surfaces (30 putts).

"I played well, hit the ball well as I've done for the past two days. I hit a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of chances and I'll keep doing that and hopefully manage to get a win by the end of the year."

McGinley's memories of the week will be rather akin to the weather - mixed. His form up to and including the Ryder Cup had been excellent and he would have travelled to Mount Juliet in expectation rather than hope. However, his inability to capitalise when the weather was kindest, instead probably saving his finest round for yesterday, when conditions were very difficult in a golfing context, left him on the periphery of the tournament.

It was hardly a surprise the weather dominated initial conversation: "It's disappointing for everyone. It was a bit of an anti-climax because of the weather. It wasn't kind to us and it made the golf course as long as I have ever played in my career.

"On the eighth hole, I hit driver, three wood and four iron just to reach the green. Into the wind it was just brutal. I suppose I played my best golf in the worst conditions of the week, having just a single bogey today."

Reflecting on his bogey blues - he made 11 and also a double bogey as against 15 birdies over the four rounds - he said: "That's been my nemesis all week. I have dropped too many shots, frittered them away."

McGinley's memory of the week, though, is not how he played but the reception he received from the galleries. "It seems that they were showing their appreciation for what we did at the Ryder Cup. I'm sure Padraig (Harrington) and Darren felt the same." He must now wait and see what transpires in terms of the World Cup.

Graeme McDowell closed with a 71 for a one-over-par total and a share of 43rd place.