A birdie-four from John Senden at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off earned the Australian victory over England’s Daren Lee at La Watzenau.
The pair had finished tied on 12-under-par 276, two clear of the field, but at the first play-off hole, the par-five 16th, Lee hit his approach into a fairway bunker then found the water beside the green with his recovery.
After dropping under penalty, the 33-year-old from Essex almost holed his chip for bogey but it was no match for Senden who hit the green in two then two-putted from around 20-feet for victory and the top prize of £7,309.
“I came to France with the sole aim of maintaining my position in the Rankings so that I can secure my Tour card for next year,” said Senden. “I played very solidly and I’m delighted.”
It was the Brisbane-based 27-year-old’s second European Challenge Tour victory of the season, following his success in the Interlaken Open in July, and leaves him fifth in the Rankings with his Tour card virtually secure.
However, it was a bitter disappointment for Harlow-based Lee, who led by two shots with four holes to play. But he dropped a shot at the 15th while Senden was securing a birdie at the 16th to draw level and set up the play-off. “I didn’t do what I wanted to do in the play-off,” he said. “I was aiming to play over the trap but my ball didn’t make it.”
Londoner Robert Lee, no relation, finished third on 278 after a closing 70 while two more Englishmen, Sheffield-based John Mellor and David A Russell from Kent shared fourth spot on 279, Mellor after a 63 which would have been a course record but preferred lies were in operation.
Austria’s Uli Weinhandl, who was on the leaderboard for the first three days and began the final round tied with Daren Lee, slipped to a closing 75 for 281 and joint ninth place, while Ranking leader, Warren Bennett, looking for a hat-trick of wins on French soil, finished nine shots back on 285.
RESULTS
1 John SENDEN (Aus) 71 70 67 68 276 7309.58
2 Daren LEE (Eng) 73 65 68 70 276 4870.13
3 Robert LEE (Eng) 72 66 70 70 278 2746.58
4 John MELLOR (Eng) 72 73 71 63 279 2027.03
David A RUSSELL (Eng) 69 71 69 70 279 2027.03
6 Uli WEINHANDL (Aut) 67 71 68 75 281 1575.12
Roger WINCHESTER (Eng) 73 67 70 71 281 1575.12
Renaud GUILLARD (Fr) 71 69 68 73 281 1575.12
9 Markus BRIER (Aut) 70 71 68 73 282 1182.43
Marc PENDARIES (Fr) 69 71 71 71 282 1182.43
Henrik BJORNSTAD (Nor) 72 68 70 72 282 1182.43
Robert Jan DERKSEN (Hol) 72 68 71 71 282 1182.43
13 Fredrik LINDGREN (Swe) 78 68 64 73 283 739.29
Jos‚ CARRILES (Sp) 72 71 71 69 283 739.29
Richard BLAND (Eng) 71 73 71 68 283 739.29
Christophe DE AIZPURUA (Fr) 74 71 69 69 283 739.29
David H PARK (Wal) 69 71 69 74 283 739.29
Euan LITTLE (Scot) 72 70 68 73 283 739.29
19 Eric GIRAUD (Fr) 72 73 71 68 284 544.05
20 Jose Manuel LARA (Sp) 71 71 69 74 285 497.25
Warren BENNETT (Eng) 70 74 70 71 285 497.25
Warren BLADON (Eng) 71 70 73 71 285 497.25
23 Emmanuel DUSSART (Fr) 71 67 75 73 286 437.66
Felix LUBENAU (Ger) 72 71 71 72 286 437.66
Morten BACKHAUSEN (Den) 70 72 72 72 286 437.66
Benoit TELLERIA (Fr) 74 68 72 72 286 437.66
Julien VAN HAUWE (AM) (Fr) 73 72 70 71 286
27 Bruno PETIT (Fr) 72 72 70 73 287 397.07
Didier DE VOOGHT (Bel) 67 72 72 76 287 397.07
29 Jeremy ROBINSON (Eng) 74 70 71 73 288 347.24
Claes HOVSTADIUS (Swe) 76 69 74 69 288 347.24
Christian CEVAER (Fr) 74 72 72 70 288 347.24
Michel BESANCENEY (Fr) 72 71 74 71 288 347.24
Antony MANASSON (Fr) 70 73 68 77 288 347.24
Janeirik DAHLSTROM (Fr) 71 72 78 67 288 347.24
Alexandre BALICKI (Fr) 74 72 74 68 288 347.24
36 Cedric DOUCET (Fr) 71 72 69 77 289 302.74
David R JONES (Eng) 67 71 77 74 289 302.74
Scott WATSON (Eng) 76 70 69 74 289 302.74
39 Raphael EYRAUD (Fr) 69 72 73 76 290 270.56
Ben ETCHART (Fr) 72 74 72 72 290 270.56
Arnaud LANGENAEKEN (Bel) 73 72 69 76 290 270.56
Marcus WHEELHOUSE (NZ) 69 75 74 72 290 270.56
Maarten LAFEBER (Hol) 71 71 77 71 290 270.56
Sean QUINLIVAN (Ire) 74 71 73 72 290 270.56
45 Richard GILLOT (Fr) 74 71 72 74 291 247.90
Thomas HENNIG (Ger) 74 72 74 71 291 247.90
Fr‚d‚ric SCHMITT (Fr) 70 72 73 76 291 247.90
Fr‚d‚ric CUPILLARD (Fr) 75 70 72 74 291 247.90
49 Fran‡ois LAMARE (Fr) 75 71 71 75 292 234.74
Jesus Maria ARRUTI (Sp) 72 70 76 74 292 234.74
51 Francesco GUERMANI (It) 73 70 72 79 294 223.76
Christophe POTTIER (Fr) 74 71 71 78 294 223.76
Francis HOWLEY (Ire) 71 75 73 75 294 223.76
54 John LAWSON (Eng) 74 71 72 78 295 212.80
Jean Marie KULA (Fr) 69 75 75 76 295 212.80
56 Franck AUMONIER (Fr) 74 72 72 78 296 201.83
Quentin DABSON (Fr) 76 70 72 78 296 201.83
Darren PARRIS (Eng) 69 71 75 81 296 201.83
59 Marco SOFFIETTI (It) 77 69 74 79 299 190.86
Sebastien DELAGRANGE (Fr) 78 68 76 77 299 190.86
61 Ralf GEILENBERG (Ger) 72 71 80 77 300 184.28
62 Fr‚d‚ric GROSSET-GRANGE (Fr) 75 72 147
Mark LITTON (Wal) 74 73 147
Christopher HANELL (Swe) 72 75 147
Sarel SON HOUI (Fr) 71 76 147
Rudi SAILER (Aut) 73 74 147
Lionel ALEXANDRE (Fr) 77 70 147
Erol SIMSEK (Ger) 75 72 147
Jean-Fran‡ois LUCQUIN (Fr) 73 74 147
Jesper KJAERBYE (Den) 75 72 147
Dominique NOUAILHAC (Fr) 71 76 147
Matthew BLACKEY (Eng) 74 73 147
Mike MILLER (Scot) 74 73 147
74 Marcel MANIETEKA (Fr) 74 74 148
Alessandro NAPOLEONI (It) 76 72 148
Alessandro TADINI (It) 75 73 148
Peter ALABASTER (Eng) 73 75 148
Antoine LEBOUC (Fr) 74 74 148
Matthew HAZELDEN (Eng) 77 71 148
Niccolo BISAZZA (It) 74 74 148
Jimmy MOUILLESEAUX (Fr) 73 75 148
82 Julien BRAVARD (Fr) 73 76 149
Laurent LASSALLE (Fr) 75 74 149
Xavier LAZUROWICZ (Fr) 75 74 149
Patrick PLATZ (Ger) 74 75 149
Nicolas SUBRIN (Fr) 74 75 149
Amine O JOUDAR (USA) 74 75 149
Pauli HUGHES (Fin) 75 74 149
Roger SABARROS (Fr) 78 71 149
Gordon J BRAND (Eng) 75 74 149
Marco DURANTE (It) 77 72 149
Fernando PASQUALUCCI (It) 78 71 149
93 Stephan GANDL (Ger) 74 76 150
Ruben GONZALEZ (Sp) 71 79 150
Federico BISAZZA (It) 76 74 150
Gianluca BARUFFALDI (It) 75 75 150
Leon STANFORD (Eng) 73 77 150
Maurice BESSE (IC) 73 77 150
Stephen GALLACHER (Scot) 73 77 150
Nicolas KALOUGUINE (Fr) 74 76 150
Stephan RULTON (Eng) 76 74 150
Thomas BESANCENEZ(AM) (Fr) 75 75 150
102 Alvaro SALTO (Sp) 75 76 151
Martin PETTIGREW (NZ) 75 76 151
Younes EL HASSANI (Mor) 79 72 151
Stephane CHAUFFOUR (Fr) 81 70 151
Andrew CRERAR (Scot) 78 73 151
Jean-Pierre CIXOUS (Fr) 76 75 151
108 Diego DUPIN (Fr) 80 72 152
Gregory HAENEN (Bel) 74 78 152
Alexis NOUDEU (Fr) 79 73 152
Charles BELLAN (Fr) 75 77 152
Adam TILLMAN (Eng) 78 74 152
Xavier BARRAZZA (Fr) 75 77 152
Marc AMORT (Ger) 77 75 152
115 S‚bastien DE MEURERS (Bel) 73 80 153
Christopher LILEY (Eng) 72 81 153
Bryan INGLEBY (Eng) 76 77 153
Ilya GORONESKOUL (AM (Fr) 78 75 153
118 Carlos RODILES (Sp) 79 75 154
Hayo BENSDORP (Hol) 77 77 154
120 Michael HAASIS (Ger) 80 75 155
Paolo TERRENI (It) 82 73 155
Christoph GUNTHER (Ger) 79 76 155
Richard HUSSEY (Eng) 77 78 155
Matthias DEBOVE (Fr) 81 74 155
St‚phane LAHARY (Fr) 74 81 155
126 Franck FERRU (Fr) 78 79 157
127 Francisco DE PABLO (Sp) 82 76 158
Benjamin FESNEAU (Fr) 80 78 158
Antonello BOVARI (It) 77 81 158
130 Stephen MOSKAL (Fr) 80 79 159
Patrick LACROIX (Fr) 78 81 159
132 Xavier LEMPEREUR (Fr) 80 80 160
133 Pascal EDMOND (Fr) 76 87 163
Luigi SCARFIOTTI (It) 81 82 163
Fr‚d‚ric DUGER (Fr) 81 82 163
136 Inigo MORAL (Sp) 74 RETD
Tim PLANCHIN (Fr) 76 RETD
Romain VICTOR (Fr) 82 RETD
Marc NOEL (Fr) 80 W/D
Andrew BUTTERFIELD (Eng) 81 W/D
Jean Charles CAMBON (Fr) 78 RETD
