Golf DigestIt wasn't the pushover that some people expected for Darren Clarke in the €213,000 Northern Ireland Masters at Clandeboye but the pre-tournament favourite still managed to top the leaderboard and take the €35,520 winner's cheque.
Clarke was seven shots behind at the halfway stage but a six-under-par 65 in Saturday's blustery winds shot him into the lead by one stroke. Yesterday, he was pushed to the end by Englishman Stuart Little as halfway leader Jon Lupton faded.
A three-birdie closing 70 left Clarke at 11 under, two strokes clear of Little, as he pencilled in nine straight pars on the back nine. "I couldn't buy a putt," he revealed.
Starting the day at 10 under, the Dungannon man chipped to four feet for birdie at the first hole but then three-stabbed the second green for bogey four. Back-to-back birdies at six and seven left Clarke 12 under with a three-shot lead over Little, who had carded birdies at the first and sixth.
The picture changed, however, as Clarke bogeyed nine and Little, playing ahead, made a three at the 10th to close the gap to one stroke and that's how it stayed until the runner-up took a five at the last.
"After playing lovely for the first eight holes the putts just wouldn't drop," Clarke explained. "I turned it from being comfortable to something difficult. I didn't think that I would feel so much pressure but it was good to hang in down the final straight. It was great to win at home and, of course, any win is a good one. I only looked at the scores a few times."
Clarke heads to Germany this morning for the Linde Masters at Cologne and then on to the Dunhill Masters. Following that it's another trip across the Atlantic to Atlanta and then on to Las Vegas.
Stuart Little, joint sixth in the Irish Open last year at Fota Island, was quite pleased with his week's work after closing with a four-birdie 69.
Stephen Browne's seven-under-par tournament finish - he collected €8,866 for joint fourth - is his best to date and secures him his Challenge Tour Card for next season. It also takes him a big stride towards going straight into final qualifying for the European Tour. He is already through to PQ2.
The former European Amateur Champion from the Hermitage GC in Lucan made three birdies and highlighted his card with an eagle three at the sixth, where he reached the green with a drive and six iron and rolled home a 12-footer. He dropped back to five under after bogeys at the eighth and 11th but offset that with birdies at the 14th and 16th holes.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Des Smyth finished joint fourth in the Constellation Energy Classic AT Hayfields Country Club Baltimore yesterday after a final round of level-par 72 left him three shots behind Larry Nelson.
Smyth went to the turn in two-under-par 34 and was the outright leader at nine under par after 11 holes. However, two dropped shots, at the 14th and 15th, opened the door for Larry Neslon, Doug Tewell and Jim Dent to pass the Irishman.
Nelson went on to win on nine-under-par 207, two clear of Tewell and Dent, with Smyth sharing fourth place with Sam Torrance and Jay Segal at six under par after a final round of 72.
Eamonn Darcy and Christy O'Connor finished well down the field after disappointing final rounds. Darcy shot 74 for 220 while O'Connor slumped to an 80 for 226.
