Casey ends drought in desert as Clarke wilts

PAUL CASEY ended a 20-month winless drought while Darren Clarke’s drive for success ended with two ‘duffed’ chip shots during the final round of the Volvo Champions event in Bahrain.

Casey denied Sweden’s Peter Hanson after both players, who were tied at 20-under par coming down the last, found trouble to the right of the flag.

Casey was in rough pin-high but Hanson’s ball was ‘plugged’ in a greenside bunker. Hanson splashed out but then two-putted for bogey in a round of 69 while Casey put his chip to five-feet and holed the par putt for a score of 68 and a one-shot victory.

The 33-year Arizona-based Casey’s last success was at Tour HQ in capturing the BMW PGA Championship in May 2009, a win he couldn’t believe was nearly two years ago.

“It just doesn’t feel like 20 months ago because I had six months off with injury, and even after coming back I was rebuilding,” he said. “I played some pretty good golf the latter half of last year, and was disappointed not to win and wanted to put that right as soon as possible, and I’ve managed to do that here in Bahrain.”

It prompted the question if victory on the Colin Montgomerie-designed course eased any of the pain in the Scot not selecting him as a European Ryder Cup ‘wildcard’ pick.

“‘No comment’ is probably the wisest way to answer that question,” said Casey smiling.

Clarke began the final round just one stroke from the lead and went into a share of the lead with birdies at his first and third holes. However, it came unstuck for the Ulster man to the left side of the par-five ninth green when he horribly ‘duffed’ not one but two chips shots before finding the green with his fifth, and then holing a lengthy putt to walk off with a bogey.

“There’s a little patch of grass at the back of the ninth that is not the same as the rest of the turf, it’s softer and blah, blah, blah,” he said. “The easier option was to putt it or chip and run it but I was thinking of holing it but I just got the two completely wrong.”

The incident drained much of the fight out of the newly-engaged Clarke, who played the inward half in two over with a bogey at 13, a birdie at 17 before finding the water down the last for a double-bogey in a score of 73 for a share of eighth place at 14-under par.

Clarke’s only comfort, aside from a €35,000 prize cheque, is that he has jumped 33 positions to 32nd on the Race to Dubai money list.

It was a disappointing last day affair for each of the other Irish, with Pádraig Harrington starting his new season with a 58th place after a final round 71 for a five-under par score.

“I feel good about my game and it’s been well a worthwhile four days,” he declared.

Harrington was heading home ahead of his next event, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Fellow Dubliner Peter Lawrie is headed to Doha and this week’s Qatar Masters after also signing for a 71 and a four-under par tally. Joining him is Belfast’s Michael Hoey, who finished on two-under after a final day that included an eagle and three birdies but also three bogeys, two doubles and a triple bogey.