Bradbury Clinches Open de France Title with Thrilling Finish
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – English golfer Dan Bradbury secured his second European Tour career win with a stunning 5-under 66 in the final round of the Open de France on Sunday. The 25-year-old’s impressive performance saw him finish at 16 under overall, edging out Denmark’s Jeff Winther by a single stroke.
A Back-Nine Surge
Bradbury’s victory was largely thanks to his incredible back-nine display, where he carded four birdies to shoot up the leaderboard. This surge allowed him to hold off Winther, who had earlier mounted a challenge with seven birdies in his flawless round of 64.
Rewards and Reflections
With this win, Bradbury has earned coveted spots at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the World Tour Championship in Dubai. “It hasn’t sunk in at all,” Bradbury said, still reeling from his triumph. “The goal this week was to make the cut, so I didn’t have to go to Korea to keep my card.” He added with a smile, “I guess I’ll be looking at flights to Dubai then.”
A Tight Finish
Winther ultimately fell short, managing only par on the last two holes to finish tied for second alongside countryman Thorbjørn Olesen, England’s Sam Bairstow, and Germany’s Yannik Paul. The quartet finished at 15 under, just one stroke behind the champion.
A Turning Point
Bradbury pinpointed the 15th hole as the moment he felt the tide turn in his favor. After narrowly avoiding the water, he sank a 15-foot putt to gain momentum. “Luckily it stayed on, and I hit a horrendous putt that went in,” he recalled. “Sometimes you just need that. Once I’d done that, it felt like ‘there’s definitely something going for me.’”
A Nightmare for Svensson
Meanwhile, Swedish golfer Jesper Svensson endured a disastrous round of 5-over 76, plummeting down the leaderboard to share 27th place. Svensson’s struggles began with three bogeys and two birdies on the front nine, before things worsened with two bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine.
Other Notable Performances
England’s Justin Rose posted a respectable 69 to finish tied for 13th at 10 under, while 16-year-old Ukrainian Lev Grinberg impressed with a 71 to tie for 37th in only his fifth European Tour appearance.
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