Darren Clarke retained his Compass Group English Open title with a magnificent final round of 65 to overcome a six shot deficit at the Marriott Forest of Arden. Clarke fired no fewer than ten birdies, including four in succession from the 13th to finish a shot ahead of Michael Campbell, who had led from the start, and Mark James.
Final Round Video Highlights
Clarke consolidated his position at the top of the Volvo Order of Merit with 1,502,884 euro after claiming the 208,330 euro first prize and becomes the first player since James in 1990 to successfully defend the English Open title.
Starting the final round six adrift of Campbell, Clarke underlined his intentions by holing a 15 foot birdie putt on the first. Another birdie followed on the third and although he dropped a shot on the fourth, made further advances with a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth. A sixth birdie was sandwiched between bogeys at nine and 11 but Clarke really made his move from the 13th, holing putts of ten feet, 15 feet, 18 feet and 15 feet respectively to move to 13 under par and into the lead. The six shots he made up in the final round was the biggest catch up on the European Tour this season.
“At the start of the week I was playing okay but not great. The first couple of rounds I struggled a bit. Butch (Harmon) was watching on TV in Vegas and phoned me up, called me a few names and told me to do this and that – and it worked.
He said: “I thought I would need a 64 today. That was my goal.” Thinking back to last year when Clarke finished both the second and third rounds with five successive birdies on his way to claiming the title, he added: “I took on the 13th tee saying I could finish with five birdies again, but then realised I had six holes to go! I made four in a row and didn’t quite convert the fifth but it was just good enough.”
Mark James, bidding to win the title for a third time and become the first player to win on the European Tour in four different decades, started the final day on nine under par and, after an early hiccup on the fourth, moved up the leaderboard with birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh. The 1999 Ryder Cup captain briefly moved into a share of the lead with Clarke and Campbell with a birdie 14th before the Ulsterman pulled clear. Chances to join Clarke at 13 under on the 16th and 17th from within six feet slipped past the hole as James finished with a round of 69.
“I played reasonably well,” he said. “Putted pretty well. Chipped all right. Had a couple of chances on 16 and 17 and didn’t take them, simple as that really. Nasty putt on 16 – hit a good putt but it missed. On 17 I couldn’t seem to see the line and hit a poor putt from four feet. 16 was about 5 feet. It was just nice to play well.”
Campbell set the pace with an outstanding 63 in the opening round and held firm at the top of the leaderbaord until the final stretch. In the end he needed a birdie on the last to tie but his putt lipped out.
“Darren played great with a 65 today,” said Campbell. “Under other conditions or circumstances it might have been different. Obviously I’m disappointed not to have closed the deal but there’s always next time.”
