Fledgling Whangarei golf professional Dale Clarke finished an unlucky 13th at Vodafone Fiji Open Championship at the Natadola Bay Golf Club on Monday. Clarke finished the tournament on 26-over with scores of 81, 79, 76, 78 for a total of 314, earning about $750 for his efforts. The 22-year-old said the recentlycompleted course at the club was the toughest course he'd ever played on and the scores at the tournament certainly backed that up. Australian Mathew Griffin was the only golfer who seemed at home on the course, which was officially opened just before the tournament. He lifted his first major title after leading from the opening round and never surrendered his advantage despite the tough conditions. He scored two over par 74 in the final round to finish the four-day tournament with a total of 290. At the end, it was an easy victory for the Aussie as his nearest rival was 11 shots behind. The Melbourne-based golfer said he made a slow start in the final round - with winds of up to 30 knots adding to the carnage. Griffin, who turned professional last October, won close to $6000 and claimed a ticket to play in the Panasonic Open in Japan in September. Brendan Stuart of Australia finished second with 301, while Kiwis Joshua Carmichael and Richard Lee were tied for third spot with 302. The next stop on the Pacific Tour is the Samoan Open.
