Grégory Havret extended his last ever DP World Tour event into the weekend with a wonderful second-round 66 at the 2024 FedEx Open de France.
A three-time winner on the Tour, and runner-up at the 2010 U.S. Open behind Graeme McDowell, Havret is bringing the curtain down on his illustrious playing career to take up a role with the French Golf Federation.
Before that, though, he has another two days' work to enjoy after making back-to-back birdies on the back nine at Le Golf National and holing a nerveless par putt on the 18th.
"This round was one of my best," he said.
"I wanted so hard to make that cut. Those wins back in 2007, 2008, even 2001, Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open 2010, I didn't feel such a thing since that.
"That birdie on 15 was just the biggest move and I thought to myself, 'well, don't throw away such a good shot. Don't throw away that beautiful 80-metre shot on the hole before on 14'.
"To finish with missing the cut would be quite disappointing and I wouldn't be happy now. I'm happy to play that good and continue the weekend."
Among French players, only Raphaël Jacquelin has played more DP World Tour events, 681, with Havret level with Thomas Levet on 560.
Playing alongside fellow veterans Nicolas Colsaerts and Marcel Siem, he said in an on-course interview conducted by Colsaerts as they walked down the 14th hole: "It's a lot of emotions, for sure.
"I started in 97 in the Trophee Lancome so to finish at the French Open 27 years later, it's an amazing achievement. I'm pretty proud of it.
"I've been through many things, I enjoyed every minute of it. To be here now, with you, with a few holes left... maybe the weekend, we never know - still fighting eh?
"Having my kids, family, yourself, Marcel, it's a lot of emotions, a lot of things coming up to my brain.
"I feel free, I feel good, but it's quite something."
Havret entered the winner's circle for the first time at the Atlanet Italian Open in 2001, repeating the feat at the 2007 Barclays Scottish Open in a play-off against six-time Major Champion Phil Mickelson and adding another win on Scottish soil the following year at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Looking ahead to his new ffgolf role, he said: "I will be in charge of the male, high-profile young stars - the top guns, as they say - from age nine, 10 years old until they turn pro, until university.
"And the French teams, obviously, from 16 to 20, and I will put my DNA on their project, helping their coach, their team to build something that has a chance to reach what we want.
"What we want is top 20 in the world, some Majors - the last French who won a Major was 1907, we feel it's possible to change that and the French (Federation) president Pascal Grizot asked me to come and help them with the project.
"I just love it, I'm very happy. That's also why I'm thinking this is my last one, because I want to be 100 per cent in that."
