A lot of time, effort and thought, and a fair amount of money went into the design and development of the Tomson Pudong Shanghai Golf Club, venue for this week's BMW Asian Open.

The most immediately striking aspect of the course is the bunkers that run straight into the wide expanse of water around the 9th and 18th greens, creating the impression of a sandy tropical beach at the end of each nine. It's an original and attractive piece of design.

But there are lots of other features of interest. A drystane dike crosses the fairway ahead of the green on the 4th, perhaps modelled on 'The Gap', the 3rd hole of the famous old North Berwick links course in Scotland. There is a small round bunker right in the middle of the par-3 8th that cost Richard Finch a double-bogey on Saturday.

The tree-studded areas between the fairways – it would be stretching it to call them rough - have been carefully and thoughtfully sculpted with mounds that create a sensation of privacy and seclusion on every hole, and some great vantage points for the spectators.

17,000 of these turned out over the four days of the competition, and by the end of the final day the gallery on the 18th was as big as any I have seen in a Chinese competition.

This was where the final drama of the 2008 BMW Asian Open was played out, with victory at issue until the last roll of the last putt of the last pairing.

That victory went to Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke ahead of Dutchman Robert Derksen, to make it an Irish Island double over the past two weeks in China. But the win came only after a final hour that was packed with drama.

Things had looked very different as the pair made their way up the 9th fairway. The wind that had blown firm in the early morning was dying away, as was the challenge of the four players who had started the day on -3 with just a chance of coming back into the frame.

Of the four leaders, Robert Dinwiddie had dropped strokes and was lying -4. Taipei's Lin Wentang was on -6, but promptly dropped a stroke on the 10th. This left Clarke and Derksen together four clear on -9, and it seemed that the winner would certainly now be one of the two.

Clarke birdied the 10th to go one up. Derksen made a long putt on the par-3 12th to scramble par. Then the two arrived at the par-3 14th, and the drama cranked up a gear.

All day caddies and players had been commenting on how tough the 14th was playing. The pin was on the narrow left side, and it was proving extremely difficult to cross the water and hold the green. So it proved for the two leaders now. Both went through the back of the green and up the bank behind.

Clarke played first. His chip went left and rolled down to the lower tier, leaving him with a putt of 12 feet. An opening for Derksen? From a similar spot a foot or two in front of Clarke, Derksen disastrously went right through the green, and watched in horror as his ball dropped into the pond.

At the second time of asking he managed a chip and putt for double-bogey, and then had the frustration of seeing Clarke miss his 12-footer to drop a stroke too.

Surely, then, two ahead with four to play, Clarke would simply see out the last four holes in par for a comfortable win?

Both players parred 15. Then Clarke missed a short putt for par on 16. One ahead, two to play. Incredibly, he did the same on 17. All-square going into the final hole.

Derksen found sand with his tee-shot, Clarke, the middle of the fairway. Derksen's iron was a decent enough effort, but flew the back of the green into the worn rough, leaving him a chip of 50 feet. Could Clarke turn the screw?