Kimsey claims play-off victory in France

Tournament: Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge
Venue: Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, Le Vaudreuil, France
Hashtag: #LeVaudreuilGolfChallenge

Final Round Report

Nathan Kimsey won his first European Challenge Tour title after defeating Robin Sciot-Siegrist on the fourth extra hole at the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.

The Englishman held a one-stroke lead ahead of the final round but a closing one under par round of 71 was only enough to reach Sciot-Siegrist's 14 under par target, after the Frenchman had birdied the last in the penultimate group at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil.

The duo could not be split during the three extra trips down the par three tenth, before Kimsey birdied the 11th – the fourth play-off hole – to secure a maiden title as Sciot-Siegrist saw his attempt slide by.

"It's amazing, I'm struggling for words right now. I'm over the moon," he said.

"I was dealing with the nerves alright but coming down the last few holes and trying to get it done in real time was tough but weirdly I felt more comfortable in the play-off. Going back to amateur golf, I always loved match play so settling down into that do or die scenario was helpful.

"It's fantastic to get the win. I feel like I've spoilt the party a little bit because Robin is from a place not far from here so they were all rooting for him but the fans have been great. They were fantastic for both of us, clapping and cheering every shot on, so it's been great to play in front of.

"I've had a decent last six or eight weeks, going ok on the Rankings, and this shoots me up there into a position where top 20 at the end of the year is a real realistic goal now. Hopefully I can push on and pick up some more points during the rest of the year."

Despite falling short in his quest for a first Challenge Tour title, there is reason for Sciot-Siegrist to celebrate as he booked a spot in the Cazoo Open de France later this year as the leading Frenchman through the Blot Open de Bretagne and the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.

Frenchman Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon posted an eight under par 64, his lowest Challenge Tour round, to share third place with countryman Clément Sordet and Sweden's Mikael Lundberg on 12 under par.

Kimsey's victory sees him climb 33 places on the Road to Mallorca Rankings to seventh, while Denmark's Oliver Hundebøll, who finished in a tie for 40th in France, earned enough points to move one place to top spot on the Rankings.

The Road to Mallorca now travels to Austria for the Euram Bank Open from July 14-17, 2022.

Kimsey shows late fight to retain Le Vaudreuil lead

Round Three Report

Nathan Kimsey eagled the last to immediately bounce back from a double bogey and take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.

The Englishman showed no signs of nerves as he led for the majority of the third round, before dropping his only two shots of the day on the par four 17th but responded with a sublime closing eagle to card a three under par 69 and lead by one on 13 under par.

Sweden's Mikael Lundberg and Frenchman Robin Sciot-Siegrist share second place on 12 under par, with the latter looking to secure a spot in the Cazoo Open de France, as the French player with the most accumulative points through the Blot Open de Bretagne and this week at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil.

Kimsey was delighted with the way he bounced back from the only blemish on his card and is now relishing the opportunity to compete for a maiden European Challenge Tour win in France.

"I made a bit of a mess of 17, it's a really tough hole today, a long par four into the wind with a back flag," he said. "It was great to come up 18, hit two quality shots in and not have to do too much on the green to make eagle.

"To drop a couple late on, you know you're only going to be one off the lead if you make par up the last but you know tomorrow, with coming in last, you're going to be a few groups back tomorrow, so it's always nice to bounce back and make your way back into that final group.

"It was solid, no real fireworks all day really. It was tricky with the wind to really get shots close with quite a few flags at the back of the greens, it was tough to work it all the way back there. I hit a lot of quality shots to mid-range distance but didn't manage to drop any.

"There's always some nerves, especially when you haven't won on Tour before, you're always searching for that first one but you welcome that because it means you're in a position to do something great. Hopefully I can deal with them tomorrow and post another good score."

England's Matt Baldwin and France's Clément Sordet share fourth place on 11 under par, with German Freddy Schott two strokes back on nine under in sixth place.

The final round will begin at 7:40am local time on Sunday July 10, with Kimsey and Lundberg paired in the final group at 12:40pm.