Amundi Open de France

Amundi Open de France

Amundi Open de France
Paris, France
Winner: Nicolas Colsaerts

Nicolas Colsaerts described himself as a “man on a mission” at the Amundi Open de France. He may not have won since 2012, but the 36-year-old Belgian had finished the last nine seasons inside the top 100 on the Race to Dubai and did not want to break the streak. He arrived in Paris in 114th place to play his ninth tournament in 10 weeks. Colsaerts led by three strokes going into the final round and by five after a birdie at the first hole, but the National course, scene of the 2018 Ryder Cup, still had a dramatic finale.

When Colsaerts bogeyed the 12th hole he was two behind George Coetzee, who had collected three birdies in a row from the ninth. Colsaerts responded by birdieing the 13th and chipping in for an eagle at the 14th before finding the water at the dangerous 15th and taking a double-bogey-six. At the same hole Coetzee ended his hopes by finding the water both off the tee and with his approach for a triple-bogey-seven.

Suddenly, Joachim B. Hansen was the leader after three birdies in a row from the 13th. The Dane, who had a quintuple-bogey-nine at the 13th on Saturday, took four putts to get down from short of the 17th green — the first of which ran over the green — for a six. Hansen closed with a 68 to take second place, one ahead of Coetzee, 71, and two in front of Kurt Kitayama, who finished in the top four for the second week running.

Colsaerts calmly parred the last three holes, a broad smile erupting as he putted up stone dead at the 18th. He had scores of 67, 66, 67 and 72 for a 12-under-par total of 272. “The French Open for me is very special because I’m French-speaking,” he said. “I’ve been coming here for I don’t know how many years, it’s been a long road.”