Robert Karlsson won a tournament yesterday and Darren Clarke, for the umpteenth time in his career, lost one. Karlsson was the epitome of steadiness with a final round of 70, two-under par, and duly won the Spanish Open: Clarke was the epitome of, well, Clarke; a man of almost boundless talent with an equal capacity for failing to use it.

The two men began the day tied for the lead at nine-under par. Karlsson took the first prize of sterling £123,839; Clarke finished tied for 32nd, on £5,372.

The Ulsterman's collapse was dramatic. Having gone to the turn in 38, to fall four behind, he had that same deficit to overcome after 14 holes.

Having hit his second into a bush he abandoned the common sense approach of taking a penalty drop, presumably because he could still see the ball in among the tangle of branches and half-dead grass. Two fruitless swings left the ball still in there and a third only just popped it out.

The next shot was played practically on the run and squirted along the ground, short of the green, and the next ran through to the back. A chip to five feet followed, as did a missed putt. This was a good win for Karlsson, whose game plan was to "play easy, just make pars and take the birdie chances when they come". At El Saler this is mainly on the long holes, and the Swede birdied two of them. "I hit the important shots well," he said, "and that was pleasing." He moves to eighth in the Ryder Cup points list.

There was an early indication of the way Karlsson's day, and the luck, was running. Though his ball landed in a small patch of sand just clear of an ice-plant's tentacles, Karlsson was able to hit a proper shot.

But he got this one wrong as well, pulling it into trees up by the green and, with Clarke only six feet away from the pin after a very good drive and a great second to go nine-under, a bogey to drop Karlsson to the same seemed likely.

But guess what? Karlsson chipped to nine feet and holed for the ropiest of pars; Clarke missed his birdie chance.

Clarke often wears a truculent look on the course, as if the game is conspiring against him and after he missed a four-footer for a par at the ninth, to drop four behind Karlsson, he was soon scowling.

Five holes later, he had plenty to scowl about.