Clarke's gem of a birdie clinches poignant victory at Asian Open

To describe it as emotional goes without saying. How could it be anything else for the popular Ulsterman who hadn't won since his wife, Heather, died in August 2006 and who lost his game so completely that, before this triumph, he was languishing in 236th place in the world rankings?

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Now the Ryder Cup and other ambitions are back on the agenda following a momentous success achieved by the Tiger-like feat of holing a 40ft birdie putt on the last to win by one.

"This one is very special," said the overjoyed Clarke. "It was always going to be a difficult hurdle for me to get back into the winner's enclosure after Heather passed away and I have crossed a big mental hurdle today."

That much was obvious during the course of a nail-biting finish that saw Clarke come perilously close to throwing away the title due to nerves.

A seemingly comfortable three-shot advantage with five holes to play became anything but when the 39-year-old bogeyed the 14th, 16th and 17th holes. Now he was level again with his nearest challenger, Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen, a former winner of the Dubai Desert Classic.

"From the 14th onwards I lost my concentration," Clarke said. "I started thinking about Heather and my two boys, Tyrone and Conor, and other bits and pieces. In this game, if you lose your concentration you make mistakes and that is what happened."

Thankfully, he was able to gather himself at the finish as talent and providence combined to give him his first victory on the European Tour since winning the Bridgestone Invitational in 2003. "I think Tyrone and Conor will have enjoyed that final putt every bit as much as I did," said Clarke. 'I just wanted to make sure I got it to the hole and gave myself a chance because I wasn't going to lag it up. Sometimes things are meant to happen and I guess today was my day."

Now he can contemplate other similar days, as he looks to retain his Ryder Cup place for the match in September. At the start of play he was nowhere in the rankings. This morning, the 10 automatic places will be back within reach.

Clarke's manager, Chubby Chandler, always said that once the first anniversary of Heather's death passed last August his man would be able to draw a line in the sand. Over the winter the pair analysed all aspects of Clarke's game and what he needed to do to reclaim his place among the elite.

"I have been working harder than ever on all parts of my game and it is nice to see it pay off," Clarke said.