Clarke collects award

Darren Clarke’s four-stroke million-dollar victory in the NEC world championship in Akron has earned him the European tour’s Asprey Golfer of the Month award for August.

Clarke became only the second player – after Tiger Woods, who has seven – to win more than one of the World Golf Championships. In a field which contained every member of the world’s top 50 he had rounds of 65-70-66-67 for a 12-under-par total of 268.

Other leading contenders for the award were Lee Westwood, who rediscovered his winning touch in the BMW International Open in Munich, and Australian Adam Scott, who recorded his maiden victory in the United States by winning the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston on Monday.

Westwood ended three years without a title by surging back to form with a tremendous three-shot victory, covering the final nine holes in 30 shots for a closing 66.

Other winners of the Asprey Golfer of the Month Awards for 2003 are: Ernie Els (January and February), Robert-Jan Derksen (March), Fredrik Jacobson (April), Paul Casey (May), Philip Golding (June) and Phillip Price (July).