The final round of the Alstom Open de France was a historic one as
Graeme McDowell overtook Richard Sterne to become Northern Ireland’s first Open de France winner.
McDowell was able to secure the tournament with a beautiful round that included five birdies and a bogey, leading him to a four-stroke victory at nine under par. Sterne looked to be the likely winner heading into Sunday. Opening the day with a promising three birdies on the front nine. But it all seemed to fall apart for the South African on the back nine where he bogeyed three holes. Leaving him to finish just behind McDowell with a 71.
This marks the third win for McDowell in the past three months, in what appears to be an all or nothing formula. In his last eight tournaments the 33 year-old has either missed the cut or won.
“It's been a funny year because my game hasn't felt far away most weeks, but I've missed a lot of cuts and missing cuts hurts. That has certainly motivated me a lot these last few weeks,” he told the BBC.
McDowell will now have the next week to prepare for the British Open. Where he hopes his all or nothing streak won’t stop him from making the cut.
