Golf: Clark checked by Jimenez's birdies: The Dutch Open

HOWARD CLARK, who has not managed a win on the European Tour since 1988, was thwarted once again in the Dutch Open at Hilversum yesterday. The 40-year- old former Ryder Cup player finished runner-up for the third time this year when Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez achieved birdies on three of the last four holes for a two-stroke victory worth pounds 108,330.

Jimenez, now lying in fourth place in this season's Order of Merit, was three ahead with eight holes to play only to suffer three bogeys in a row to fall back into a tie with Clark.

However, Jimenez made hasty repairs. He sank a 20-foot putt on the short 15th, two-putted the 490- yard 16th and, after hooking his approach to the par-five 18th into the grandstand, pitched to six feet and holed for a 70 and an 18-under- par total of 270.

Clark, who had set the target with a 67, said: 'I did everything but win but I'm pleased with the way I played.' To mount his challenge, he had to overcome a recurrence of the wrist problem which was operated on two winters ago. 'The tendinitis came up again on the hard ground here and I needed treatment twice a day.'

Peter Mitchell was third on 273, 15 under, after a closing 71. Colin Montgomerie, the defending champion, recorded a 68 to share fourth place with David Gilford, who had a 70, and the American John Huston, who finished with a 68.

Montgomerie was left regretting his third round of 73. 'I still tend to throw in a bad one and that was very bad,' he said. 'You can't afford to do it and hope to win. There are two many good players out here.'

Ernie Els, the US Open champion, was joint seventh on 13 under, while Ian Woosnam, who missed the half-way cut in the US Open and the British Open, flew home happier after a closing 69.

HEINEKEN DUTCH OPEN (Hilversum) Leading final scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 270 M A Jimenez (Sp) 65 68 67 70; 272 H Clark 67 67 71 67; 273 P Mitchell 65 67 70 71; 274 C Montgomerie 68 65 73 68, J Huston (US) 70 69 67 68, D Gilford 66 67 71 70; 275 B Hughes (Aus) 68 71 68 68, M Roe 68 70 69 68, E Els (SA) 70 66 68 71; 276 P O'Malley (Aus) 71 70 69 66, D Cooper 71 67 71 67, F Nobilo (NZ) 69 66 73 68, R Boxall 65 75 67 69, E Romero (Arg) 71 70 66 69; 277 A Sherborne 68 75 70 64, R Claydon 67 74 69 67, S Torrance 72 68 69 68, J Spence 69 68 71 69, R Alvarez (Arg) 71 67 69 70, M Harwood (Aus) 70 69 68 70, P Walton 69 66 71 71, P McGinley 69 71 66 71; 278 I Woosnam 70 69 70 69, G Hjertstedt (Swe) 66 70 72 70, J McGovern (US) 68 70 67 73; 279 P Affleck 72 71 67 69, P Way 69 69 71 70, J-M Olazabal (Sp) 70 66 72 71, M Mouland 67 68 72 72, J Robinson 67 67 72 73; 280 W Westner (SA) 72 69 73 66, C Rocca (It) 72 71 69 68; R Muntz (Neth) 67 67 74 72, P Baker 70 67 71 72, R Drummond 68 71 69 72, J Lomas 73 68 67 72; 281 P-U Johansson (Swe) 71 69 72 69, M Miller 70 71 70 70, G Brand Jnr 68 69 71 73; 282 S McAllister 70 72 73 67, R McFarlane 71 67 75 69, I Garrido (Sp) 71 71 71 69, J Hawkes (SA) 70 68 74 70, J Rivero (Sp) 66 74 72 70, R Davis (Aus) 70 69 71 72, M Davis 69 71 69 73, D Smyth 71 70 68 73, D Clarke 68 69 71 74; 283 K Eriksson (Swe) 68 70 76 69, V Singh (Fiji) 70 70 73 70, P Golding 71 71 70 71; 284 R Allenby (Aus) 70 73 73 68, O Sellberg (Swe) 72 71 72 69, M Lanner (Swe) 74 69 71 70, B Barnes 70 68 74 72, P Teravainen (US) 69 70 71 74.

VOLVO EUROPEAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT: 1 Olazabal pounds 315,530, 2 Montgomerie pounds 287,467, 3 B Langer (Ger) pounds 273,090, 4 Jimenez pounds 265,667, 5 Els pounds 224,325, 6 N Faldo pounds 220,099, 7 Roe pounds 211,727, 8 Allenby pounds 201,819, 9 Clark pounds 188,203, 10 C Mason pounds 179,469, 11 Mitchell pounds 163,546, 12 Gilford pounds 162,081.

Tom Wargo, the self-taught golfer from Illinois, won the Senior British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes yesterday when he held off challenges from the defending champion, Bob Charles, and fellow-American Doug Dalziel. Wargo returned a 71 to win by two strokes with a total of 280, eight under par.