Clark continues love affair with the Durban Golf Club

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2005 South African Airways Open | Wrap | 24 Jan 2005

Tim Clark won his second South African Open in three years when he walked away with a six stroke victory at the site of his previous win, the Durban Golf Club. This time he was eligible to play the event, whereas in 2002 he was forced to pre-qualify, which he did and won.

Clark last year once again retained his card on the USPGA Tour in 2005 finishing 71st on the money list. He is entered for his first event of the USPGA Tour season on Wednesday in Palm Springs. It will be a mad dash to get there if he goes ahead with his decision to play.

His win against a weakened field, at least by recent South African Open standards, was classy and he gets his season 2005 off to a confidence boosting start.

Clark said later that he felt a lot of pressure and expectation for him, being a local, to win this week.

“It means a great deal to win our national Open and again to win here at Durban Country Club. I think it is one of South Africa’s great courses, it really does challenge the players and to win round here I know I have played good golf.” Clarke still holds the amateur record at the Durban Golf Club so this is not just a new relationship.

With no Dunhill Championship to provide support in terms of an adjacent event this year, the South African Airways Open was very much stand alone in terms of its European Tour connections. The drawcard was obviously Darren Clarke who would eventually finish in a share of fourth, but local interest on the performance of the talented Clark, Trevor Immelman and the perhaps the even more talented 20-year-old, Charles Schwartzel, who won the Dunhill Championship late last year.

Clark took a share of the lead into the last round along with Titch Moore, Tjaart Van der Walt and Hendrik Buhrmann and although Moore and he matched shots for a few holes, Clark’s mistake free round of six under 66, saw him run out an easy winner.

Now 29 years of age, Clark has not been a prolific winner of tournaments, this was just his sixth in a professional career that dates back to 1998. The other wins have been here in 2002, twice on the Nationwide Tour in 2000, the 1998 Canadian PGA Championship and the Brunswick Open. Clark was a very successful collegiate player while at University in the US and won the 1997 US Public Links Championship the year before his fellow countryman Trevor Immelman did the same. He played on the International Presidents Cup Team in South Africa in 2003, combining with Ernie Els to win valuable points towards his team’s share of the title that year. His third placing at the USPGA Championship in 2003 behind Shaun Micheel may well be the highlight of his career to date but no doubt twice winning his national title takes a special place in his heart.

Charles Schwartzel is one of the game’s emerging stars. One of the longer hitters, he is learning his craft and his win at the Dunhill in December has set him up for what promises to be a breakthrough season in Europe in 2005. He was third in this event two years ago in one of his first few events on the European Tour and seems destined to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman in the years to come. Today he produced six birdies and two bogeys in his round of 68 to move from 10th to share second.

France’s Gregory Havret joined Schwartzel in a share of second. Nick Dougherty, James Kingston and Graeme Storm shared fourth with Darren Clarke who powered home after a slow start.

The European Tour now heads to Singapore for the Caltex Masters before heading to Australia and New Zealand while South Africa’s Sunshine Tour heads to Sun City for the Dimension Data Pro Am.