PARIS has often been dubbed the most romantic city in the world, but Bathurst professional golfer Peter O’Malley has had a different sort of love affair with the French capital since the turn of the millennium.
Paris has been the stage of plenty of success for O’Malley, specifically in the Open de France, which yesterday saw him placed tied 13th for his seventh top 20 performance at the tournament since 2000.
But O’Malley had more than just this reason to love Paris yesterday.
After firing a one under par 70 in his final round at the 6607 metre Le Golf National course, O’Malley cracked the European Tour’s Order of Merit top 100 as well as producing his best finish of the year thus far.
All this in just his second tournament back after a three week break that saw him return to Australia to visit his family.
While O’Malley has only just entered the European Tour’s top 100, now ranked 97, he has done so with limited time on the fairways compared to his rivals.
Due to family commitments O’Malley has played in just 11 tournaments this season. In a testament to the Bathurst talent’s form, of those also placed inside the top 100 only 18 golfers have taken part in less events than him.
Last week playing in Madrid O’Malley carded his best round of the year, a six under par 66, and he continued that form as he took part in the Open De France.
Since 2000 it has been an event O’Malley has enjoyed with only 2002 (tied 71st) and last year (tied 60th) resulting in disappointing finishes. During this period he has ranked in the top 10 at Paris five times – 2006 (tied seventh), 2005 (tied fourth), 2004 (tied sixth), 2003 (tied third) and 2000 (tied seventh) – so he brought plenty of confidence with him for this year’s version.
He made a steady start with rounds of 71 and 72, but shot up the leaderboard on day three as he carded seven birdies through the course of the 18 holes. O’Malley had began Saturday in tied 34th position but he finished it with a share of 14th.
It was a nervous start on Sunday (yesterday AEST) as O’Malley bogeyed the first hole, a 380 metre par four, but from here his front nine improved.
Birdies on the third, sixth and eighth saw him turn at two under the card and when he dropped another shot on the 11th, a top 10 finish looked in reach.
While this did not eventuate as O’Malley bogeyed the 12th and 15th, it was still an impressive finish as he was one of eight players in tied 13th position, one stroke out of the top 10.
The winner was Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal, who finished at 15 under after rounds of 65, 70, 67 and 67.
The 25-year-old, who had to come through a qualifying tournament to take part in the Open de France, was ecstatic with his victory.
“I know that today I played great golf. Today and yesterday was probably the best golf of my life,” he told europeantour.com
“I played great golf at the qualifying tournament as well. This tournament was a six round tournament for me because it all started for me in Chantilly two weeks ago.”
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