BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, Darren Clarke won the TimberTech Championship on Sunday for his first PGA TOUR Champions title, two-putting for birdie on the par-5 18th for a one-stroke victory over Jim Furyk and Bernhard Langer. Clarke won for the first time since the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s.
“I’ve had a lot of opportunities the last few years, so it’s great to finally win one,” Clarke said. “I wouldn’t be working this hard if I didn’t think I could still win.”
The 52-year-old major champion from Northern Ireland had a 17-under 199 total at the The Old Course at Broken Sound.
The Old Course at Broken Sound has been an annual tour stop for the Champions Tour since 2007. One of the longest continuous stops on the tour today. However, The Old Course is hardly old. The course went through an extensive Re-Design in 2004 under the guiding eye of golf architect, Gene Bates of North Palm Beach, Florida. By extensive, this was a 100% new re-design, nothing was left of the original course. The new design included an all new routing plan over 10 additional acres that had been acquired with multiple new retention ponds as per local water regulations.
The efforts certainly paid dividends, as BoardRoom Magazine bestowed its “Renovation of the Year” award to Gene Bates and The Old Course at Broken Sound.
Congratulations to Darren, it’s nice to see you back in the winners circle. Click to see the full Champions Tour story here – Champions Tour Story