Thomas Levet comes back to win Alstom Open de France after 25 years of struggle
For the 42-year-old Thomas Levet, victory at Alstom Open de France was nothing short of being the greatest victory of his life. The veteran Frenchman took over England's Mark Foster and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen to win his sixth title on the European Tour and
his first French Open.
Levet also became the only French winner of the trophy since 1969 after Jean-Francois Remesy, who won consecutive titles in 2004 and 2005.
The final round turned out to be a nail-biting, three-way contest where Foster and Thorbjorn continuously challenged Levet for the top slot on the final, most difficult, stretch of Le Golf National. While the contenders faltered with their wayward drives,
Levet maintained his composure to post a 70, finishing off for seven-under on aggregate.
“I’ve played this tournament, I don't know how many times, but now I can play for another ten years or something like that. So it's just absolutely crazy.” Levet was later talking to the reporters. “All of my friends were here in the crowd. It's always nice
to win in front of your home crowd.”
Levet, who has been battering with a nasty bout of Vertigo since 2006, made his debut at the French Open some 25 years ago and has been searching for glory since then. He dropped down on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) after his dreadful disease
surfaced while driving in New York, and subsequently lost his tour cards on European and PGA Tours.
“I put the car into reverse, looked to see if there was anyone behind and it just kicked off,” he said. “I felt as though I was in a washing machine for a whole five minutes. I got out of the car and didn't know my name, I couldn't even walk straight.”
Levet started off poised at 352nd in the OWGR and has now soared to a staggering 137th with his win. He is also being touted as the next Ryder Cup European captain when the event will visit Paris in 2018, although the captain is yet
to be finalized. Levet was also the runner-up in 2002 Open Championship, when he lost to Ernie Els on a five-hole play-off.
Levet collected winner’s prize share of £442,000. The Frenchman has already qualified for the upcoming Open Championship.
Martin Kaymer, the most high profile player on the event, regained his third spot in the OWGR when he posted a strong finish for an outright fourth. Opening up the event with disappointing scores of 71, Kaymer had another disappointing final day where he
shot an over-par 73. The PGA Championship winner has been desperately looking to improve his form ahead of the Open Championship scheduled at Sandwich in July.
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