Golf/NEC World ChampionshipDarren Clarke won the NEC World Championship in magnificent style in Akron yesterday - and with it grabbed the biggest cheque of his life.Winner of a $1 million dollars for beating Tiger Woods in the final of the 2000 Andersen Consulting World Match Play in California, Clarke this time won $1,050,000 million.
A closing 67 gave him a 12-under-par total and four-stroke victory over American Jonathan Kaye. Davis Love was third and Tiger Woods, only two behind after a front nine charge, fell back to joint fourth with Chris Riley.
Meanwhile, Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington finished their final rounds well down the field.
It appeared last evening that Harrington would not be arriving back home in time to witness the birth of his first child, after he had received various text messages from his wife Caroline, and others, while competing in the final round.
Harrington finished the week with a level par 70 for 284, five shots clear of his playing partner and fellow Ireland World Cup team member Paul McGinley, who struggled yesterday making seven bogeys in a lacklustre 75 for a nine over par total of 289.
As Harrington's caddie Dave McNeily sprinted from the 18th green before his boss had holed out there were concerns that things had gone wrong at home but he was just rushing to catch a flight.
"We thought it might be something to do with the baby", was the comment from the gathered pressmen,
"How are things there?"
"Here is my last text," said Harrington, his mobile phone screen reading, "You concentrate on your job and I'll do mine."
"Yes she's in hospital at the moment. When I was talking to her earlier today before I went out she said that things were happening and that it was possible. I texted her from the 10th tee and didn't get a reply and immediately I thought she must have gone into hospital. Then I got a reply when I was on the 13th.
"Hopefully I'm not going to make it, as for her sake I hope she has the baby in the next 10 minutes. Obviously I wish I was back but it certainly doesn't look like I will be at this stage. Hopefully I will get the good news as soon as possible.
"The last couple of days have been tough, I have got to say, I wanted to go home, but as long as I have a healthy baby and a healthy wife at the end of it all I'll be a very happy man.
