It looked like Darren Clarke was going to be the lead player in this week’s column... and then up popped his friend and Ryder Cup partner Lee Westwood to snatch the headlines.

Lee ended a 12-year wait by winning a three-man play-off at the St. Jude Classic in for his second title on the PGA Tour.

What a dramatic finish in Memphis because it looked like a home win for America when Robert Garrigus stood on the last tee holding a three-shot lead.

But as Jean van de Velde might have told him, such leads can be lost when there is water to contend with.  And so it proved as Garrigus, like the Frenchman had in the Open at Carnoustie, triple bogeyed to join Lee and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson in a play-off.

Garrigus bogeyed the first extra hole to be eliminated and then Lee birdied the fourth extra to claim his 32nd title of a glittering career.

Back in Portugal, Darren came back from a disappointing first round to finish sixth in the Estoril Portugal Open.  It was a very welcome return to form and should accelerate his climb back up the rankings... a journey Lee has travelled successfully himself.

An excellent showing from Gary Lockerbie saw him also finish in the top 10 while Chris Wood had another encouraging top 20 despite slipping in the final round.

Now I’m in Pebble Beach for the season’s second major championship, the US Open.  It’s a magnificent place even though the weather is not what we’re used to after the 100+degrees of Memphis.  It’s cold and wet, but our chances are very bright this week.