GOLF:THOMAS LEVET described himself as living out a dream yesterday when he finally captured the French Open championship 25 years after first playing in it.
Tipped as a possible captain when the Ryder Cup is staged at Le Golf National near Paris in 2018, the 42-year-old local hero triumphed on the course by a shot from England’s Mark Foster and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen.
Former cup player Levet came into the event ranked 352nd in the world, but from three behind with a round to go, a closing one-under-par 70 gave him a nail-biting victory worth €500,000.
“It was just crazy – the way it went was just like a dream,” he said after Olesen had missed a four-foot par putt on the last and then long-time leader Foster had left a 20-foot birdie attempt short.
“The people were going ‘Allez, allez, allez’ and some of them go ‘captain, captain’. The atmosphere was great – I felt like one of the Tour de France riders climbing a mountain.
“I had everyone behind me, basically the same as a Ryder Cup, and it was the same adrenaline rush.
“It’s the first time my kids have seen me win. I’m not done yet!”
With Levet, runner-up to Ernie Els in the 2002 British Open after a five-hole play-off at Muirfield, having qualified for Sandwich last month, the one place in the event up for grabs this weekend went to Olesen rather than Foster because of his higher world ranking.
That piled on the disappointment for the Worksop player, who could not hang on to the 54-hole lead for the second week running and has now gone 234 Tour events and almost 8½ years since his one victory.
Levet’s seven under total won the trophy, yet after 11 successive pars at the start of his round Foster was still nine under.
But then came a double bogey six at the 12th, where he came up short of the green and chipped off the side of it.
He then three-putted the next and parred in for a 74 that did not contain a single birdie.
Scotland’s Richie Ramsay resumed only one behind and that is where he still stood until he found water on the 15th and ran up a triple-bogey seven.
That allowed 2009 winner Martin Kaymer through into fourth place, good enough for him to reclaim the world number three spot off US Open champion Rory McIlroy.
Levet had a real rollercoaster ride at the start. He birdied the first, three-putted the second, took two penalty drops out of hazards for a bogey six on the next and then made a curling 60-foot birdie putt at the fourth.
He rated his 12-foot par putt at the 17th the crucial one, though. Olesen was about to birdie, but instead of going ahead he was only level and the 21-year-old Tour rookie then missed the final green.
By bogeying he had to settle for his third runners-up finish of the season, whereas Levet joined Jean-Francois Remesy – champion in 2004 and 2005 – as the only home winners since 1969.
It was a largely disappointing weekend for the Irish. Peter Lawrie closed with a 70 to finish in a tie for 21st on two over. That was worth €33,000.
But Gareth Maybin slipped to a 77 to finish on seven over, while Paul McGinley (79) and Michael Hoey (80) propped up the field.
