Sport

Clarke comes up short in Orlando

Golf: Darren Clarke lost the race to become the first European player to win the Bay Hill Invitational in a dramatic finish …

Mon Mar 20 2006 - 00:00

Golf: Darren Clarke lost the race to become the first European player to win the Bay Hill Invitational in a dramatic finish to the tournament in Orlando last night.

Clarke shot a final round of 70 to finish third on 12 under-par 276, two behind the winner Rod Pampling of Australia and one behind England's Grey Owen.

Both Owen and Pampling at different times looked to have the event in safe keeping on a rollercoaster back nine but contrived to throw it away before the Australian recovered his equilibrium to secure the win.

Overnight leader Pampling led Owen by two strokes and Clarke by five standing on the 13th tee but the Australian drove out of bounds at the par four. He could manage no better than double bogey and Clarke took advantage with a 25 foot putt to suddenly reduce his deficit to two.

READ MORE

Things got even better for Clarke at the 207 yard 14th when hit a six iron to five feet and holed for birdie. He still trailed by two as Owen holed a raker from the fringe to take a one-shot lead and Pampling jumped back into the picture with a birdie of his own at the 15th.

Clarke went for broke off the tee at the par five 16th but finished in trouble wide right to effectively end his chance. While Owen birdied the hole, the Irishman could do no better than par to drop three behind.

Poor tee shots by Clarke and Pampling led to bogeys at the demanding par three 17th but astonishingly Owen three-putted from no more than three feet to let Pampling back into a share of the lead with Clarke two back.

Down the 18th, Owen, his mind clearly scrambled by the disaster on the 17th, hooked his second into a bunker behind the green, Pampling played safely for the middle and Clarke played aggresively for the flag.

Owen's par attempt from 12 feet lipped out and Pampling calmly two-putted for the win as Clarke's birdie putt slipped by.

Leading totals: 274: R Pampling (Aus) (Eng) 70 65 67 72. 70 69 67. 275: G Owen (Eng) 70 69 67 69. 276: D Clarke (Ire) 73 70 63 70. 277: R Allenby (Aus) 68 67 73 69. 278: L Westwood (Eng) 68 71 72 67, T Purdy 69 71 71 67.