London, Aug 26: Darren Clarke has not yet realised his full potential at the highest level, but his four-shot victory at the WGC-NEC Invitational on Sunday will go some way towards redressing the imbalance.
Before this weekend, the richly-talented Northern Irishman had clinched just nine European Tour wins since turning professional in 1990, the most recent in the 2002 English Open.
At the majors, he has collected only six top-10 finishes, including three at the British Open, but all too often he has been let down by his mental approach and by a putter that can cool down just as quickly as it heats up.

This year, though, Clarke has transformed his golfing mind-set with the help of American sports psychologist Bob Rotella. Hard work on other aspects of his game left him in ideal shape for last week's event in Akron, Ohio.

"It's the best I've ever prepared for a tournament," he said, after a closing 67 at the Firestone Country Club South Course earned him his second World Golf Championship title. "Sometimes good things come out of bad things. I was disappointed missing the cut last week (in the U.S. PGA Championship at Oak Hill), but I was looking forward to coming here.
"I've been putting a lot of work in and getting very good results. But to win a tournament as important as this one, it certainly makes me feel pretty good after all the work I've done.
"It's great to see progress, not only in my swing and my short game, but from the mental side. Everything culminated."


Bureau Report