Hisatsune finishes strongly to win French Open for 1st victory on European Tour
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — Japanese golfer Ryo Hisatsune posted a 5-under 66 to win the French Open by two shots from Jeff Winther of Denmark and Jordan Smith of England on Sunday, clinching his first victory on the European tour.
"(I decided to play) more aggressive, like ‘Go, go, go,’ said the 21-year-old Hisatsune, who made five birdies on the back nine and jumped up four places in his final round at Le Golf National.
Winther's fine round of 65 moved him up 10 spots. But countryman Rasmus Højgaard, last year's runner-up, missed out again after having looked in contention. His 68 left him in fourth, three shots behind Hisatsune.
Smith shared the overnight lead with Ewen Ferguson of Scotland, with both bidding for their third victories on the European tour.
Smith opened the day strongly with two birdies, but three bogeys followed as he carded a 1-over 72.
Ferguson had a nightmare start with consecutive double bogeys and his 5-over 76 — which featured two bogeys either side of his only birdie — saw him drop down the leaderboard in a tie for 10th.
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