Darren Clarke lamented his perceived bad luck after finishing fourth at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan yesterday. "The only time I hit it off line I either got stuck behind a tree or it kicked further into trees," Clarke said after a closing three-under-par 68 on the Phoenix Country Club course.

Despite making four birdies in the final seven holes, he was not exactly pleased to finish seven strokes behind Shingo Katayama.

Katayama (27), one of the best of a promising crop of young Japanese players, was never headed in the final round as he carded 68 to finish at a tournament record 19under 265, four strokes ahead of American Bob May (66).

Clarke, who started the day seven shots back, needed a hot start to have any hope of winning, but it never materialised as he bogeyed the second hole and had to wait until the seventh for his first birdie.

"Nothing happened," he continued. "I played okay but I didn't have the run of the ball. I couldn't hole any putts either."

His luck probably wasn't as bad as he thought, because he holed a bunker shot from 20 feet for birdie at the par-four 12th, and also sank a 35-footer to birdie the 15th, but by then he was no doubt convinced the golfing gods were against him.