Darren Clarke found the American Family Insurance Championship’s new format to his liking again as he tasted victory in the PGA Tour Champions’ only team event on Sunday.
The Tyrone man won the title for a second time, on this occasion with a different partner than in his maiden triumph.
Clarke and Ben Crane posted a four-under-par 67 on Sunday and held on for a one-stroke win over Kenny Perry and George McNeill at TPC Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin.
The tournament saw 38 two-man teams play four ball (best ball) on Friday and Sunday and a scramble format on Saturday. Clarke and Crane made the most of that scramble, compiling a tournament record 17 under to take the lead.
The duo didn’t put a birdie on their card on Sunday until the par-5 seventh, but they added three birdies on the back nine to grind out the victory at 30 under.
“You can see why this guy’s won Ryder Cup after Ryder Cup,” Crane said. “It’s just elite golf, elite mentally. We didn’t have our best stuff. As fun as yesterday was, is as tough as today was.”
Clarke won the 2025 edition of the event with Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, who could not play this season after undergoing back surgery.
On Saturday, Clarke commented that he picks good partners – “there’s no other reason apart from that” – but the 2011 Open champion also was a key part of four victorious European Ryder Cup teams.
“It was a hard day for us both and we both stepped up and made some clutch putts and clutch shots when we really had to down the stretch,” Clarke said.
“We said at the start of the week, our goal was to get ourselves in the mix on the back nine on Sunday and that’s what we did.”
It is Clarke’s sixth win on the PGA Tour Champions and Crane’s first. Crane turned 50 earlier this year and is in his first year on the seniors’ circuit.