Pro makes clutch final-hole birdie to steal French Open title

The 18th hole at Le Golf National, host of this week’s Cazoo Open De France, is perhaps one of the toughest finishers on the DP World Tour this season.

The tee shot presents water all along the left side and bunkers down the right. The second is even more terrifying, forcing a carry over water to a peninsula green, giving a chance for the ball to trundle over the green and back into the lake, if hit to the right.

Don’t tell Guido Migliozzi how hard it is.

The Italian came up clutch on the 72nd hole, carving his approach from 197 yards to 6 feet, converting the birdie for a final round 62 and one-shot win over over Rasmus Højgaard. The birdie was the only one of the final round at the 18th of Le Golf National, which hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup.

“It’s been an incredible day,” Miggliozzi told Sky Sports after the win. “I played very, very solid today. And, you know, I just was very comfortable with my game … I was not nervous, but I was just enjoying my game.”

The 62 was the lowest final round ever in the Open de France and helped Migliozzi overcome a 13-stoke 36-hole deficit and a five-stroke 54-hole deficit to Højgaard. The Dane, Højgaard didn’t do himself a favor on Saturday when he made a quintuple bogey on the second hole. His six stroke lead to start the weekend was just one to start Sunday. He rebounded by birding the same hole in the final round, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Miggliozzi.

“Yesterday, Rasmus, you know, I missed the second hole and he almost opened a little bit more again and I was like, Wow, I just kept playing great,” Miggliozzi said.

The win is Miggliozzi’s third on the DP World Tour since winning twice in 2019. He finished in a tie for fourth at the 2021 U.S. Open and notched a top-15 this year at Brookline.

“I was I was confident that one day I was in a winners circle again,” he said. “I worked really hard this season. I was very, you know, a lot of expectation, but not really paying off. But I kept working hard. And now here I am with the trophy and it’s beautiful.”