Before departing for Japan yesterday morning, Darren Clarke made a second phone call in 12 hours to Lee Westwood, who had deprived him of the European Order of Merit title at Valderrama on Sunday. And he warned his friend: "I'll be looking for my pound back next year."
Clarke is being promoted as one of the leading attractions, along with Vijay Singh, for the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, starting on Thursday when Thomas Bjorn defends the title. After that, the Tyroneman will have a week off before heading for two tournaments in South Africa, including what is now the $2 million challenge at Sun City.
"I accept that Lee played better than I did this year," said the Tyroneman, who had a £1 bet with Westwood on the destination of the Order of Merit. "I've learned a lot from the experience, however, which I plan to carry through to the battle for the title in 2001."
Foremost among the compensations for Clarke was the admirable composure he displayed both at Montecastillo, where Pierre Fulke beat him for the Volvo Masters title, and at Valderrama, where there was never any indication of the red mist descending, as it would almost certainly have done a year previously.
As it happened, Fulke's superb five-wood shot of 216 yards, which set up an eagle-three for him at the long 16th on that fateful Sunday at Montcastillo, has been chosen as the Canon Shot of the Year.
The other compensation for Clarke is that while his official earnings for the European season are £1,616,441, he will earn twice that amount this year, when endorsements and other payments are taken into account. And in official money alone, he has tripled his earnings from 1999.
Clarke still holds an important achievement over Westwood in that the $1 million he won as Andersen Consulting Matchplay champion last February is double the Englishman's biggest cheque.
"I believe we are now seeing the beginning of a new era in European golf," said Andrew Chandler, who manages both players. "I expect Lee and Darren to dominate the game on this side of the Atlantic for the foreseeable future."
But how can such fierce rivals remain such good friends? "They got very close while playing together in the Ryder Cup last year," he replied. "Anyway, that's one of the wonderful things about golf. In what other sport would you get the same incidence of players unselfishly helping each other?"
Padraig Harrington seemed more concerned with world ranking points than cash, after a wonderfully courageous performance at Valderrama had earned him £108,740 for a share of fifth place. And he has moved up one spot from 25th to 24th, edging ahead of Ryder Cup partner Miguel Angel Jimenez. Clarke slipped out to 10th but Paul McGinley has moved up from 67th to 65th.
