John Gough carded a final round 68 to reach 14 under and win the Blot Play9 by two strokes at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André in France.
The Englishman had to bogey or better the par four 18th to claim his maiden HotelPlanner Tour title, finishing two under par for the day, and two shots ahead of Dane Frederik Kjetturup, who birdied the last to earn outright second.
Starting Sunday two shots ahead of Spain’s Pablo Ereño and Frenchman Maxence Giboudot, the 27-year-old settled well with back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth. He made another front nine gain on the par three eighth, however, went bogey-birdie-bogey after the turn, as Ereño narrowed the gap to one stroke with birdies at ten and 11.
Gough didn’t falter though, and a further gain put him in control, before Kjetturup capitalised on Ereño ’s bogey-bogey finish with four birdies on the spin. That left Gough needing a five or better at the last to secure his wire-to-wire victory in France.
“It feels great,” he said. “I’ve got a bit of a cotton mouth, even though it was raining out there, it feels unbelievable to get it done.
“I could have made it easier for myself out there, but I am really proud of myself for the way I managed with my bogeys and getting shots back and staying with my routine.
“A massive credit must go with my caddie, Tom, who helped with that out there.”
Gough had the weather to contend with for most of his round, the wind affecting scoring on the back nine, with the tenth to 13 holes the most exposed to the elements, and the rain picking up before the final group made the turn.
“All I needed to do was to hit it into sensible spots, and I did do that for quite a while.
“It was a roller coaster of emotions, Tom kept me in my zone, not just today, but all week. I’m happy for him too.
“It’s a course that you have to respect, so I couldn’t really go out there and hunt too much, I’m just happy to have made it in the end.”
The victory marks an important landmark in the 27-year-old’s career, and after coming close to victory at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André last year with a fourth placed finish, one of his highest finishes in his two years on the HotelPlanner Tour, Gough was quick to praise everyone who has been involved in his journey to date.
“This win is down to everyone that has played a part in my journey,” he added. “Nobody makes more of a sacrifice than my parents, obviously, but my brother, who is a fantastic golfer himself, my girlfriend, Tom, my coaches, I can’t thank them enough, and this shows it’s all worth it.”
America’s Charles Huntzinger, Ireland’s Liam Nolan and Giboudot shared fourth on nine under, one stroke clear of Holland’s Lars Van Der Vight in fifth.
The win sees Gough rise 55 places to ninth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with South African MJ Daffue still occupying the Number One spot. Ereño retains second place, with home favourite Giboudot leapfrogging Englishman Will Enefer and taking third.
The Road to Mallorca remains in France for the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, taking place from July 2-5.
