Northern Ireland golfer Graeme McDowell poses with his trophy after winning the EPGA French golf Open at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, outside Paris, yesterday. (AFP)
AFP/Paris
Graeme McDowell produced a final round of four-under-par 67 to lead home the field by four strokes and become the first Northern Irishman to win the French Open on a thrilling final day at Le Golf National yesterday.
The 2010 US Open winner finished the tournament with a nine-under-par total of 275 as a tense final round eventually became a one man show with McDowell cantering home to pick up a winner’s cheque of 500,000 euros. His closest rival, Richard Sterne of South Africa, held the lead after nine holes before collapsing down the stretch and finishing with three bogeys in six holes while McDowell’s rock solid game of just four bogeys throughout the tournament was the cornerstone of his second win of the year.
“It’s very special after the last couple of months,” McDowell told the European Tour website.
“It’s been a bit of a battle. It’s been a funny year. My game has not felt far away most weeks but I have missed a lot more cuts than normal and missing cuts hurts. It certainly motivated me a lot the last few weeks. The U.S. Open was a tough one to take and missing the cut in Ireland last week. It made me more hungry to want to be in positions like I was this afternoon,” he said.
Sterne settled for second on five-under-par 279. Englishman Graeme Storm and Spaniard Eduardo De La Riva were paired together for the final round and both men fired two-under-par 69s to claim a share of third spot on four under.
Sterne led by one shot after nine see-saw holes before McDowell birdied the 10th to draw level and looked on as the South African drove his tee shot on 11 into the deep rough. With no clear sight of the green, Sterne did well to get within 40 feet of the pin before getting down in two for his first bogey of the afternoon and put McDowell back in the driving seat on eight under.
The 31-year-old from Pretoria looked certain to lose more ground at 13 when he sliced his second shot into the water but a fine approach shot and a 25 footer to save par kept him one back.
McDowell, who was looking for his sixth win in eight stroke play tournaments, and Sterne then headed towards what most players have described as the toughest four finishing holes on the European Tour. Both players parred 15 before the treacherous par 3 16th produced another swing in fortune for McDowell.
His tee shot missed the green before a lucky bounce left his ball in a position from where he was able to two putt for par.
Sterne meanwhile showed the pressure was taking his toll when he missed a 10 foot putt for par and his second bogey in five holes handed McDowell a two-shot lead with two holes to play and he never looked back.
Englishman Simon Dyson, who finished 105th at last week’s Irish Open, produced his best tournament of the season to finish alone in fifth.
LEADING SCORES
275 - Graeme McDowell 69-69-70-67
279 - Richard Sterne (RSA) 68-69-71-71
280 - Eduardo De La Riva (ESP) 72-67-72-69, Graeme Storm 70-68-73-69
281 - Simon Dyson 70-68-72-71
282 - Jamie Donaldson 70-70-71-71, Richard Green (AUS) 69-70-70-73
283 - Gareth Maybin 71-73-71-68, Stephen Gallacher 68-70-75-70, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 68-69-74-72, Kjeldsen (DEN) 69-68-73-73, Howell 69-71-69-74
284 - Gareth Shaw 72-69-74-69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 68-76-69-71, Hennie Otto (RSA) 71-71-69-73, Marc Warren 69-72-70-73, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 70-71-68-75
285 - Victor Dubuisson (FRA) 68-75-76-66, Damien McGrane 70-72-74-69, Seve Benson 71-72-73-69, Felipe Aguilar (CHI) 68-72-74-71, Simon Khan 71-73-68-73, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 71-74-67-73, Jorge Campillo (ESP) 74-69-68-74
286 - Kristoffer Broberg (SWE) 72-69-73-72, Matteo Manassero (ITA) 73-69-73-71, Ian Poulter 73-71-69-73, Lee Slattery 71-70-70-75
287 - Thomas Pieters (GER) 70-72-75-70, Romain Wattel (FRA) 67-75-74-71, Scott Henry 73-68-74-72, Rafa Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 70-72-72-73, Robert-Jan Derksen (NED) 72-70-73-72