Westwood snatches prize from Clarke

It took a superhuman effort from young Englishman Lee Westwood to overcome Darren Clarke in a nerve-tingling finale at Gut Kaden in the Deutsche Bank European Tournament Players' Championship yesterday.

As the two friends produced a marvellous closing round of cut and thrust, just as they promise to do all this season, Westwood's courageous 18ft birdie putt on the last was just enough to restrict Clarke to second. Westwood picked up £183,340 and Clarke £122,000.

Westwood's last-ditch birdie rounded off a card of 66 for 23under-par. That was the best total of the year so far and Clarke's 22under after a 68 would also have bettered the old figure by one shot.

US Masters champion Mark O'Meara, who was Westwood's playing partner, was left in the shade in what became a two-horse race. The American finished third on 19 under par.

But Ireland also had a dark horse - and a happy one relieved that a bad run is over. Philip Walton's splendid 67, for 17 under par, earned him a share of fourth place with Bernhard Langer and Peter Senior and was an excellent end to a bad spell of five missed cuts.

At the top of the leaderboard, Westwood and Clarke swapped top position and then set up a highly-charged finish.

Clarke started the last round one ahead and then fleetingly went three in front, only to lose his lead when missing four-foot putts on the sixth and eighth holes for bogeys.

Westwood took over and went four ahead, only for Clarke to come charging back at him when the 25-year-old Englishman bogeyed the 16th and his rival made his third successive birdie at the same hole.

That reduced the margin to only one shot but then Westwood broke the tension by holing his final putt. Clarke bravely ran in a 35-footer himself there but the race was by then over.

He said: "I tried to make it tough for Lee. I made a good start but then threw in a couple of silly bogeys at the sixth and eighth and that cost me my momentum. "But I stuck in there, and holed a few down the stretch when I knew I needed something special to catch him.

"His putt at the last was fantastic under the cosh because he knew I was coming after him.

"It's nice to have this rivalry and I hope we can chase each other on the order of merit right to the end." Clarke's prize took him up to fourth in the European order of merit and Westwood is now sixth. Colin Montgomerie, 10th in Hamburg after his indifferent Sunday, has slipped down to seventh on the money list.

Westwood won the Freeport McDermott Classic the week before the US Masters at Augusta - where Clarke was the joint best European. Then Clarke won the Benson and Hedges International at The Oxfordshire. Yesterday's victory for Westwood completed the latest part of their lucrative rivalry.

Westwood is well aware it is all driving the pair on: "Clarkie made my heart jump when he holed that long one on the last but luckily I'd made birdie there just before him," he said. "We're great mates. He won the Benson and Hedges and now I've won here and hopefully I can chase him down the stretch for the order of merit."

Walton can also be happy with his form. He made a magnificent save on the last from about four feet to finally prove he has turned the corner after what he labelled "a lean, mean, spell". A £46,713 prize was his fat bounty.

His shot of the day was not his eagle with a 60ft tramliner on the par-five 15th, however, but the one which secured a mere par on the 10th. "It was the best par of my career," said Walton. "I drove into the bushes left, then smashed a four-iron pin high 226 yards and chipped in. That kept me going."

He added: "I only needed to hole a few putts and I have done this week. It makes all the difference. Now I can look at this as a springboard to my season."

Paul McGinley, whose first round 65 led the event but who faded badly on Saturday with 74, lifted his spirits by chipping on the last to finish 12 under par in a tie for 22nd place for £11,880.

Eamonn Darcy also had a birdie finish for a 71 and a cheque of £7,040 pounds. He had a share of 39th place on nine-under-par. Padraig Harrington's finish, however, was a painful experience. He double-bogeyed the last to hurt his winnings but the Stackstown man was happy he had been able to play at all after straining left wrist tendons through too much practice getting a wayward game in shape.

He was in all three bunkers at the 18th for a 69 and six under par, picking up a cheque of £3,190 for 60th place. Raymond Burns's struggle with his game continued as he posted a 73 to slip down to 76th place on two under par for £1,627.