England's Simon P Brown claimed his third Senior Tour title in the French Riviera Masters after holding off a final day surge from his compatriot Barry Lane.
The tournament had been reduced to 54 holes after torrential rain caused the first round to be abandoned, but the sun shone on the final day at Terre Blanche Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort - a European Tour Destination recently voted by Golf World as the 13th best venue in Continental Europe, and Brown took advantage of the benign conditions with a flawless round of 68 for a ten under par aggregate total.
Earlier in the day, Lane had set the clubhouse target on eight under par courtesy of a superb round of 64 which included four straight birdies and an eagle on the back nine.
But Brown was not to be denied, adding a brace of birdies after the turn to the two he had carded on the front nine to prevail by two strokes from Lane and Paraguay’s Angel Franco, who closed with a round of 69.
Brown said: “My score wasn’t as good as yesterday’s, but I still played really well today.
“I couldn’t see any leaderboards until we came to the 11th hole, then I saw that Barry [Lane] was right up there. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s a very good player, so I just thought that if I could get to ten under I would have a chance, and here I am holding the trophy!
“It’s my third victory since 2013, and I’m really pleased – it always feels great to win. I really like the course, I can see the shots from the tee and the fairways and greens are always in great condition, so I’m already looking forward to coming back and defending my title next year.”
Lane was understandably disappointed to have missed out on his fifth Senior Tour title but was proud of his performance, particularly on the back nine which he covered in a mere 30 strokes.
He said: “Yesterday I didn’t putt very well, but I played really well today and finally holed some putts.
“At the beginning of the round, I was tied 19th but only six shots off the lead, so I knew that if I could get off to a fast start I’d give myself a chance. The back nine was a bit up and down but then my putter caught fire after the turn. I thought I might’ve done enough to force a play-off, but credit to Simon – he held his nerve well and deserved the win.”
Franco got off to a sluggish start, bogeying the second hole for the second day in succession, but he rallied with three birdies on the back nine to share second place with Lane.
“I’m very happy to finish second,” he said.
“I played well over the two rounds, hit lots of greens in regulation but didn’t hole that many putts. I got a bit unlucky on the ninth, where my ball stopped right on the edge of the hole. But I’m still very happy with the week, because it’s my best result of the season.”
Fourth place was shared between England’s Paul Broadhurst and his compatriot Gary Marks, who closed with respective rounds of 67 and 69.
