St Quentin: German Martin Kaymer won the French Open on Sunday after defeating former European No.1 Lee Westwood of Britain in a sudden-death playoff.

Kaymer took the $930,000 first prize with a par at the first extra hole after both men had finished on 13-under-par 271, three strokes better than Briton Ian Poulter.

However, S.S.P. Chowrasia, the lone Indian to make the cut after Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa missed out, had a poor finish after carding a five-over to end at the bottom of the leaderboard. After signing for a three-under 68, the young Kaymer fared better at the tough finishing hole at the National in the shootout.

A series of lengthy putts, the longest an 84-footer on the eighth, proved the key in the end to 24-year-old Kaymer’s third European Tour victory. Westwood, though, with a similar hot putter as he ran in seven birdies, came close to ending a run of four second places in 2008.

A bogey on the long 14th subsequently cost Westwood the chance of outright victory. Kaymer’s big chance came even later as he missed a birdie putt of only seven feet on the penultimate hole. (REUTERS)