Howard CLARK

Leeds-born Howard Clark joined the paid ranks shortly after his impressive performance in the 1973 Walker Cup at Brookline. His first couple of years on tour were not easy though as he struggled to 53rd in the 1974 Order of Merit and the following year he slipped further to 73rd. Clark improved to 22nd in 1976 and his good form continued into the following year where a rise of a further six places saw him into the Ryder Cup team. It was not a happy experience though as he was overlooked for both the foursomes and four-balls and was then comfortably beaten 4&3 by Lanny Wadkins as the Americans won 12-7 at Royal Lytham. The following year was by far the Yorkshireman's best yet.

He won his first title when netting the Portuguese Open and ended the tournament as the only player under par. His rounds of 71,75,71 & 74 left him at one under and he followed that up with victory at the Madrid Open. He shot 70,70,72 & 70 to finish the week at six under par and pocketed a cheque of £4,067 to go along with his Portuguese winnings of £5,000. In between those two triumphs Clark was narrowly beaten into second place by Brian Barnes' brilliant final round 64 in the Spanish Open at El Prat. He finished in third place in the prestigious British PGA and the consistent northener also had a fine run of six consecutive top eight finishes. By the end of the 1978 season Clark had amassed £32,739 and was in a highly impressive 5th place in the Order of Merit. After his memorable 1978 Howard endured a rather disappointing season in '79 and he missed out on the Ryder Cup which was contested by the first ever European team. (David Scranage)

Howard Clark was to endure something of a barren spell after his magnificent year of 1978 and it was not until 1984 that he was victorious once again. He did,however,make the 1981 Ryder Cup team and provided one of the highlights for the European team when crushing reigning Masters champion Tom Watson 4&3 in the last day singles. The Yorkshireman's only other appearance saw him partner Scotsman Sam Torrance to a half point in their game with Tom Kite and Johnny Miller. Therefore Clark finished as the only unbeaten player on the European team and could consider himself somewhat unfortunate at his limited opportunities.

The Madrid Open was the venue where Clark returned to winning ways,finishing with an impressive total of 14 under par and pocketing £14,188 for his troubles. He followed that up with victory in the British PGA Championship and by the end of the year Clark was in his best ever position of third in the Order of Merit with a total of £139,344. The Leeds man continued his fine form through the next few years winning on no less than seven occasions between 1985-88. In 1985 he triumphed in the Jersey and Glasgow Opens and the following year saw him lifting that favourite tournament of his,the Madrid Open,for the third time.

He further showed his liking for Spain by lifting the Spanish Open later that same year with a total of 16 under par. In 1987 Howard captured the Moroccan Open and the PLM Open and the next year saw him pick up he biggest pay cheque yet of £30,000 for his victory at the English Open. The Yorkshireman featured in both the 1985 and '87 Ryder Cups and helped the European team to two memorable triumphs as they finally wrestled the famous old cup away from the Americans. (David Scranage)

Howard Clark was back in Ryder Cup business in 1989 at the Belfry and after a one hole defeat to the American pairing of Payne Stewart and Lanny Wadkins in the opening foursomes he and Mark James bounced back with two wins. The afternoon fourballs produced a comfortable 3&2 result against Fred Couples and Wadkins and the second day fourballs yielded another point courtesy of one hole victory over Curtis Strange and Stewart. The last day singles was not a happy memory for Clark though as he was pulverised 8&7 by red hot American Tom Kite. That result mattered not,however,as the Europeans retained the trophy thanks to Christy O'Connor's last hole win over Fred Couples.

  As the new decade began it coincided with a downturn in Howard's fortunes but just when it seemed his decline was permanent he bounced back with finishes of 16th and 12th in the 1994 & '95 Order of Merits to make the 1995 Ryder Cup team. Clark partnered Mark James in a 4&3 defeat to Davis Love and Jeff Maggert and then had to sit on the sidelines until the last day singles. He rose to the challenge superbly and his one hole triumph against Peter Jacobsen in the second match of the day was vital in kick-starting the European comeback on a day of high drama. Howard even fired a sensational hole-in-one during that thrilling victory over Jacobsen and when Peter Walton beat Jay Haas one up the European team had completed a wonderful comeback. Howard left the Tour in the late 1990s,after a fine career spanning more than 20 years,to take up a position with Sky Sports. (David Scranage)