DARREN Clarke yesterday lifted the trophy which will surely bring with it an invitation from Nick Faldo to be part of his Ryder Cup team.
A week after his 40th birthday Clarke captured his second victory of the season at the KLM Open in the Netherlands – and did it by a commanding four-stroke margin.
Paul McGinley, his cup team-mate in the last three matches, finished runner-up aft
er a storming 64, but conceded that the day belonged to Clarke.
The Ulsterman's 66 for a 16-under-par total of 264 came too late for him to force his way into an automatic cup spot, but Faldo hands out two wild cards next Sunday and Clarke and Paul Casey are now big favourites for them.
If they are picked it would mean Colin Montgomerie missing his first match since his 1991 debut, McGinley not playing for the first time since 1999 and Open runner-up Ian Poulter possibly being on the outside too, although he still has a chance to be in the top ten on the points table in next week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Not that Clarke, who has been on each of the last five sides, is taking anything for granted yet. After a hug and a high-five with his two sons Tyrone and Conor he reflected on a superb week's work.
"It's nice to win knowing that I had to play well and then actually doing it," said the man who was an inspiration to the last European side by winning all his three games just six weeks after his wife Heather died of breast cancer.
"I had two weeks to try to impress Nick. The first is out of the way and I seem to have done that. I don't know if I have done enough, but I'm going to Gleneagles in better shape and hopefully he will take notice."
Clarke began the last day three clear, but after just three holes playing partner Henrik Stenson had turned that deficit into a one-stroke advantage.
He started with a hat-trick of birdies whereas Clarke went over the green on the long second and ran up a bogey 6.
However, Clarke birdied three of the next four and with the Swede making a mess of the seventh and ninth – bogey and double bogey – he started the back nine four clear and then birdied the next three holes.
Marc Warren was the highest-placed Scot as a final day 68 saw him tie for fourth, and two shots behind him on seven under was Gary Orr. Paul Lawrie carded a 70 for a three under total of 277, Alastair Forsyth a 69 for 278 and Peter Whiteford a 69 for 280.
