Local hero Levet lights up Paris with French Open win

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 yesterday on the course by a shot from England’s Mark Foster and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen. Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, in touch with the leaders throughout the tournament, finished four shots off the pace.

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 more than £442,000. A soaking Levet spoke to reporters after first being doused in champagne and then jumping into the lake at the 18th.

“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.

“I was reaching distances I’ve never reached before, but with experience I knew it was going to happen.

“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 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 eight-and-a-half years since his one victory.

Levet’s seven-under total won the trophy and 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.

Joint overnight leader James Morrison fared even worse, going in the lake on the first two holes and eventually finishing joint seventh after a 78.

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 No 3 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.

Olesen, whose Open appearance will be his first major, said: “It was close, really close. I thought I hit a good putt on the last, but hopefully next time I can win.”

He matched Levet’s 70, but although it was not good enough there was only one better score all day in windy conditions that blew England’s Kenneth Ferrie – scorer of a 60 four months ago – to an 88.

Ramsay, crippled by that triple-bogey on the 15th, shot a disappointing 76 yesterday but was the best-placed Scot in the field. Peter Whiteford (71 for 286), Lloyd Saltman (72 for 287), Stephen Gallacher (76 for 288) and Colin Montgomerie (73 for 288) were further down the leaderboard as the European Tour heads to Inverness for this week’s Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.