Clarke claims emotional win

Winner: Clarke is pictured with his sons Tyrone (l) and Conor after his emotional win.

Final Leaderboard

Darren Clarke (NI) -16

Paul McGinley (Ire) -12

Henrik Stenson (Swe) -11

Lee Slattery (Eng) -9
Marc Warren (Sco)

Related links

News

• Clarke moves three clear

Also see

• EuroTour Schedule
• World Rankings
• Golf live on Sky Sports

Darren Clarke strongly enhanced his claim for a Ryder Cup wild card with an emphatic victory in the KLM Open in Holland on Sunday.

The overnight leader hit a four under round of 66 to finish four shots ahead of the field on 16 under at the Kennemer Golf and Country Club in Zandvoort.

In emotional scenes, he celebrated his victory with his young sons Tyrone and Conor on the 18th green - two years after he lost his wife Heather to breast cancer.

It was the Northern Irishman's second European Tour victory of the year after he won in the BMW Asian Open earlier in the campaign.

The triumph was also a timely reminder for European captain Nick Faldo ahead of next month's Ryder Cup.

The captain will announce his two wildcard selections after next week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, which is also the last event in the qualification race.

Welcoming his victory, Clarke told Sky Sports: "It's nice to come somewhere knowing I had to play well and then actually do it - we try to get ourselves to play as well as we can every week but I had two weeks to come to try and impress Nick and show him I am playing okay and the first week is out of the way and I seem to have done that."

He said he kept going after Sweden's Henrik Stenson briefly took the lead after the third hole of the final round.

"As I said all week, I was feeling comfortable out there and I think that was the key to my success this week," he said.

Pretty special

Asked how his emotions were down the last few holes, he added: "Pretty good - with this you never really know what's going to happen so I had to try and be sensible but it was pretty special with the boys here.

"This week with the Barclays going on in America usually I go and do hospitality for them and play with the guys over there and they have been very kind - they wanted me to come and play here this week and try and improve my Ryder Cup chances and I have managed to do that so hopefully I've pleased them as well."

Asked if having his sons watching played a part in his victory, he said: "Definitely - we've been doing the same thing every night, sitting watching a movie, having a laugh and having a bit of fun and it's the first time they have been at a tournament with me where I have managed to win so it was very special there on the 18th green."

He would not speculate if he had done enough to convince Faldo that he deserved the wild card.

"I don't know if I've done enough or not but I'm going to Gleneagles now in better shape than I was seven days ago.

"I have won and I've won comfortably - I've played well and I've played with one of the best players in the world today, Henrik, and I've managed to play well and keep my nose in front so hopefully he will take notice," he said, but he acknowledged it is up to Faldo who he wants to pick.

Clarke had taken a three-shot lead into the final round after firing an equal best-of-the-day 66 to finish 12 under on Saturday.

But his lead evaporated within two holes. Stenson - second overnight on nine under - birdied the first two to draw level as Clarke first pared and then bogeyed.

The Swede then briefly took the lead in his own right on the third hole as he notched up his third birdie on the trot while Clarke could only par.

Bounced back

But the Northern Irishman then bounced back, hitting birdies in three of the next six holes to go into the last nine with a four stroke lead on 14 under, with his advantage considerably helped when Stenson double bogeyed the ninth.

Clarke never looked back, getting birdies in the next three and despite bogeying the 15th, he held his nerve to see out the win.

He had double cause for celebration as his friend, Paul McGinley, put in an excellent round of 64 to take second place.

Stenson finished on 11 under, a stroke behind the Irishman in third.

While Clarke has handsomely enhanced his claims for a wildcard berth, the last three automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team are still up for grabs.

Justin Rose finished only joint 34th to stay eighth in the table with only the Johnnie Walker to come and will play at Gleneagles to try and ensure his place.

Three players have to go past him to deny him, but six still have a chance - Soren Hansen, Oliver Wilson, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty.

Hansen has now gone ahead of Wilson into ninth place with a joint sixth finish at Kennemer. Wilson was 20th, as was Fisher, while Kaymer was down in 55th and so has lost ground on all those he is chasing.