An incredible start to his final round effectively sealed Benjamin Hebert’s second challenge Tour title of the year and a return to The European Tour at the Open Blue Green Cotes d`Armor Bretagne.
The Frenchman exploded out of the blocks with four birdies in his opening five holes as many of his fellow-contenders faltered at the same time to hand the 27 year old an early five stroke lead that he never looked likely to relinquish as he strolled to a three-stroke victory stroll at the Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André.
Given the intense level of competition on the Challenge Tour, Hebert’s win was a rare victory march which the man himself enjoyed very much in front of a delighted home crowd as he carded a final round 66 for a 15 under total and a three shot win over Andrew McArthur, with Englishman Paul Dwyer a further two strokes back.
Hebert began the final round in a four way tie for the 11 under lead with McArthur, Alessandro Tadini and Ross McGowan, but the Frenchman must have been thanking his lucky stars as his closest challengers compounded his electric start by dropping shots of their own.
It gave the final round something of a surreal feeling, given the level of control Hebert was exerting over his golf ball.
Time after time the Frenchman played the right shots, dropping just one back to the field on the 14thbut by that point the tournament had been reduced to a battle for second place.
Hebert’s victory, and first prize of €32,000 propelled him to third in the Challenge Tour Rankings with total earnings of €104,869, guaranteeing him a return to The European Tour next year as one of this season’s top 15 Challenge Tour stars.
“It’s very exciting to be back on The European Tour,” said Hebert. “It feels great but for the moment I want to enjoy the victory here today because to win in France, in front of a great crowd was a very special moment for me.
“I played very well today and could not have made a better start to the final round with three birdies in the first three holes – it was a perfect way to begin the day.
“I wasn’t being really aggressive or anything like that, I just hit a lot of good shots and took the chances when they came. I am very happy with how the day went obviously – it feels great.”
McArthur’s secured second spot at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André did the Scotsman’s own bid for a return to The European Tour no harm as he moves up to 13thin the Rankings with his €22,000 cheque for second spot.
“Obviously it’s not the result I was looking for at the start of the day but Benjamin played very well today and thoroughly deserved his victory,” said McArthur. “If you can’t win then second on your own isn’t bad and it’s a nice bonus to move up the Rankings a bit before the big tournaments at the end of the season.”
