Darren Clarke has picked up the European Tour's April Shot of the Month Award for his 40-foot birdie putt on the final green to win the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai.
After several nervy dropped shots on the closing stretch at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, Clarke kept his composure to drain the long putt across the final green to deny Robert Jan Derksen from the Netherlands.
"I was thinking of getting it to the hole - I wasn't going to lag it," said Clarke after the putt, which secured his first European Tour title in five years.
"I putted nicely all week, and wanted to give myself a chance on the last. I gathered myself, and hit a solid putt. It was tracking six feet out, and I guess sometimes it's just meant to go in. My boys Tyrone and Conor would have enjoyed that putt more than I did."
Clarke's fellow Irishman Damien McGrane finished runner-up for
his shot on the ninth hole in the final round of the Volvo China
Open in Beijing. In the driving rain, the Meath man chipped in for
birdie en route to his maiden European Tour victory - which he
won by nine shots.
France's Grégory Bourdy was third after his approach to
the 11th hole on the final day of the Estoril Open de Portugal
before he eventually won in a sudden-death play-off.
Graeme McDowell picked up the shot of the month award for March when he claimed his third European Tour title at the Ballentines Championship in Korea.
