Clark wins Players Championship

Lee Westwood has another disappointment to add to his long list, this time out-gunned by a player who knows even more about near-misses.

South African Tim Clark won The Players Championship in Florida, golf's richest tournament, to end a 12-year and 206-event search for his first victory on American soil.

During that time Clark suffered no fewer than eight runners-up finishes, but his patience was finally rewarded when he captured the £1.1million first prize by one with a brilliant closing 67 at Sawgrass.

Westwood, who lost The Masters last month to a last-day 67 from Phil Mickelson and bogeyed the last to finish one behind at The Open last July, was trying to become Europe's third successive winner of this title.

He led by one both at halfway and after three rounds and shared top spot with nine to go, but could not respond to Clark's mid-round charge - five birdies in six holes.

The Worksop golfer came to the last two holes knowing he needed to birdie both just to force a play-off on 16 under par. Instead, however, the world number four went into the water on the famous near island green 17th, double-bogeyed it and a par on the last for a 74 left him in a tie for fourth.

On a day which saw a struggling Tiger Woods quit on the seventh hole with a neck problem - the first time in his professional career he has not completed a round - Clark was one of only two players to break 70.

After making an eight-foot par putt on the last he had to wait to see if anybody could catch him. With Westwood falling out of the hunt Australian Robert Allenby was the last man in with a chance.

He had a chance to draw level with an eagle on the long 16th, but left that on the lip and did the same with an 11-foot birdie attempt at the 17th.

Another birdie was therefore needed to take it to sudden death, but the 462-yard 18th was a beast all day into the wind and Allenby missed the green and parred.