Sprinter Clarke caught off guard by time warning

GOLF: Among his fellow players, Darren Clarke is known as something of a sprinter, someone who isn't inclined to hang around waiting for an invitation to play a shot. So, it was with some surprise that Clarke, and his playing partner Graeme McDowell, were issued with a time warning by tournament referee David Probyn in yesterday's final round.

The incident occurred on the ninth hole, where Clarke had driven left into the rough and his ball finished in a sandy divot. "I was deliberating what to do, and didn't realise I had taken so long," remarked Clarke. The impact of the warning was a dramatic one, however. Clarke proceeded to bogey that hole, and three of the next four. From being on the fringes of challenging for the title, his day was transformed into a grind that ended with another bogey on his 72nd hole.

Clarke's time warning was the first that he had ever received in 11 years on tour, and took him by surprise. What surprised him even more was his response to the warning. "I should have been a bit more professional about it," confessed Clarke. "I don't blame the referee. The rules are there to be implemented but it was one of those situations that it was a very difficult shot. I got a bad time, and I couldn't get back into it." Another to be taken by surprise was his stand-in caddie JP Fitzgerald, Paul McGinley's regular bagman. "I can't keep up with him on the fairways," said Fitzgerald. For whatever reason, the warning affected Clarke, who had threatened to make one of his final day cavalry charges. Birdies at the second and third pushed him to nine-under but his failure to birdie either of the back-to-back Par 5s that followed and, then, the miserable run from the ninth to 13th dashed whatever hopes he possessed. He eventually shot a 73 for five-under par 279.

McDowell hasn't been walking the professional fairways quite as long as Clarke, but his time warning, in only his second tournament, also caught him unaware.

"I was very surprised. On the college circuit, they told us if they were putting you on the clock. On tour, apparently, they don't tell you. Darren mentioned it to me on the seventh that we were being watched," said McDowell, who also shot a 73 for 270 for tied-27th to at least earn his first paycheque for €14,000. "I wasn't thinking about the money, I don't set myself any targets but it was nice to make the cut - you don't want to get into a run of those," said the 22-year-old, who has joined the same ISM stable as Clarke.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Darren at his best today, but I have arranged to play a practice round with him at The K Club. He is a player I would like to emulate a little bit, to put myself on that level. I know I can hang it with these guys.

They don't hit it any better than I do, but they don't make as many errors. I just have to get rid of the bad shots," insisted McDowell, who has received a sponsor's invite to play in the European Open.

For Des Smyth, the tournament finished in some style when he eagled the last hole - where he hit a seven-iron to 15 feet - that gave him a closing 69 for eight-under par 276. "I lost it on the back nine on Saturday," said Smyth, a reference to his four-bogeys-in-eight-holes-finish then. "My iron play is still too weak. I missed too many greens with irons, and just can't do that," said Smyth who, in fact, hit only 43 of 72 greens in regulation. "I've got to figure out what it is, but I know it is only something small and technical. I'll work it out."

Philip Walton's outings on tour have been few and far between this season, but he at least picked up a cheque for a third time in six tournaments. ´He finished with a 72 for two-under-par 282, which gave him a tied-53rd finish and a cheque for €5,600.