FITZPATRICK WINS FRENCH OPEN BY THREE SHOTS IN PARIS

Matt Fitzpatrick won the French Open at Le Golf National in Paris, finishing three shots clear of the field for his fourth title of the season. The Englishman shot a final-round one-under-par 70 to hold off Spain's Angel Hidalgo, who finished second. The win marks Fitzpatrick's 11th European Tour title. He described the final round as "definitely a battle", saying he lacked his best form for the first 12 holes before recovering key shots later on.

Fitzpatrick had led by five shots heading into the final round, but a stretch of 12 consecutive pars allowed the chasing group to close the gap to two shots. Birdies at the 13th and 15th holes restored his advantage, and he secured the victory despite a bogey on the final hole. Fitzpatrick has also won the Valspar Championship and the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour this year, along with the Zurich Classic team event in New Orleans, where he partnered his younger brother Alex. Matthieu Pavon posted the lowest round of the final day, a seven-under 64, to finish tied for fourth alongside fellow Frenchman Tom Vaillant, Spain's Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra and Norway's Kristoffer Reitan.

Fitzpatrick said he benefited from favourable positioning around the greens during the round, which allowed him to save par repeatedly before pulling away with the late birdies. He credited part of his display to fortunate ball positions rather than the quality of his overall game. The result extends what he has described as a strong run of form across both the European and PGA Tours this season. No further tournament dates were confirmed in the reporting.