Darren Clarke sank a huge birdie putt on the final hole to win the BMW Asian Open here on Sunday for a highly emotional victory that he dedicated to his sons following the death of their mother.
The Northern Irishman pumped both fists into the air in triumph and embraced his caddie after his putt of around 30 feet on the 18th hole gave him a one shot victory over playing partner Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands.
It was Clarke'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," the 39-year-old said.
Clarke carded a one-over 73 to finish the tournament at eight under, while Derksen also shot a 73 following a dramatic final few holes in which the Ulsterman gave up a two-stroke cushion as his thoughts drifted to his family.
Italian Francesco Molinari, Taiwan's Lin Wen-tang and English rookie Robert Dinwiddie were tied for third place at five under in the 2.3-million-dollar tournament, which is co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
Sweden's world number 13 Henrik Stenson, the highest ranked player in the tournament, finished in outright sixth place at four under after a strong final round of 68.
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.
"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.
Clarke, the overnight leader, looked to be cruising to victory when he established a two-shot buffer over Derksen at the par three 14th hole after the Dutchman chipped into the water on his way to a double bogey. However Clarke missed a par putt of less than two feet on the 16th, then bogeyed the 17th after driving into the trees to allow Derksen a share of the lead.
"From the 14th onwards. I lost my concentration. I started thinking about Heather and the boys and bits and pieces," Clarke said. "In this game, unless you keep your concentration for the whole way around, you make mistakes and that's what I did."
On the 18th, Derksen chipped his third shot to within two feet to be almost assured of a par. That left Clarke with his putt of nearly 30 feet to win the tournament or face going into a playoff with Derksen. "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.
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