Clarke pulls off timely win at KLM Open
IN: News | European PGA | KLM Open (2008) | Round Four | by Bruce Young | 25 Aug 2008
Darren Clarke has won the KLM Open at the Kennemer Golf Club in Zandvoort, The Netherlands by four strokes over Paul McGinley, with Henrik Stenson another stroke back in third place.
Clarke might not yet have cemented his position in the European Ryder Cup team but his win today could give European Captain Nick Faldo enough ammunition to justify his inclusion in the team. Clarke has played in every Ryder Cup team since 1997 and has a record that any Ryder Cup captain would be delighted to call on.
Clarke’s win earlier in the season in China and one or two other top ten finishes had not been enough for him to force his way into automatic inclusion and his mixed form in recent weeks was hardly good enough to be seriously considered by Faldo.
This win however and his own solid record as a Ryder Cup player must change all that. He has another week at this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles to assist his cause.
Clarke began his final round with a three shot lead but faltered with an early bogey. With Henrik Stenson making a fast start, Clarke fell behind briefly at the third before six birdies in his next ten holes split the field apart. His cause was assisted by Stenson’s mid round struggles but to win against a field of this strength at a time when he desperately needed to, must have been even more impressive to Faldo.
Stenson’s last hole bogey cost him a share of second with Paul McGinley, the Irishman’s brilliant last round of 64 securing him outright second and perhaps an outside chance of Ryder Cup consideration. In order for McGinley to be any chance of last minute inclusion he would likely have to win at Gleneagles next week but he has opened the door, if only narrowly.
With so many permutations still remaining as far as Ryder Cup team finalisation is concerned, both in terms of automatic inclusion or consideration by Captain Faldo, next week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles takes on even greater significance.
The best of the Australasians was a surprise but a pleasant one. Michael Campbell had slipped to 402nd in the world rankings leading into this week and in his last 21 starts has a best of 35th. There was evidence of some improvement with cuts made at both the Open Championship and the PGA but this week he stayed in touch all week to eventually finish in a share of 8th. Even more encouraging was the fact that after a horror start to his final round, Campbell birdied five of his last seven holes. He will take a lot from what was a significant week for him.
In a week where another New Zealander, Danny Lee, was producing his own heroics at the scene of Campbell’s greatest golfing moment at Pinehurst three years ago, New Zealand golf received a further boost by Campbell’s return to form. Lee became the youngest golfer to win the US Amateur with his 5&4 victory.
Peter Fowler and Mathew Millar were 26th and Peter O’Malley 58th.
Next week’s European Tour event is at Gleneagles in Scotland for the Johnnie Walker Championship.
