McDowell with his winner's cheque (Getty Images).
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Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell claimed the second European Tour victory of
his short professional career with a play-off triumph over Thomas Levet in the
Italian Open and immediately targeted another win to bolster his Ryder Cup
hopes.
The Ballymoney-born golfer won at the fourth-extra hole with a par four after
his French opponent's approach to the 18th at Castello di Tolcinasco found the
greenside lake and he failed to chip in after a penalty drop.
His debut victory came at the Scandinavian Masters back in 2002 in only his
fourth Tour start but he failed to claim another top-10 finish until the Madeira
Open just over a month ago.
But Monday's rain-delayed victory, and the £133,552 prize money which came with
it, lifted McDowell to 10th in the European Order of Merit and raised faint
hopes of securing a place in Bernhard Langer's team to take on the USA at
Oakland Hills in September.
However, McDowell realises there is a long way to go before he can start
contemplating doing battle against America's finest.
"I've got to win again. I am not going to comment on that (the Ryder Cup),"
he said.
"Whatever happens, happens. I am just happy to be in the winners circle
again. I have to keep working hard from here.
"Now I know how to react to win. I made mistakes after Sweden and will not do
that again."
McDowell had been tied for the lead overnight on 18 under with another
Frenchman, Gregory Havret, in an event reduced to 54 holes and pushed into a
fifth day by weekend storms.
Havret failed to improve his score over his two remaining holes but a birdie
four at the 15th put McDowell into the lead only to be pegged back when Levet,
one hole ahead, birdied the par-four 17th.
However, the Portrush resident could have won it on the 17th green but, with
Levet carding a seven-under-par 65 to claim the clubhouse lead on 19 under, his
10-foot birdie putt stopped a couple of inches short.
A par at the last took both back to the 18th tee but the first play-off hole
ended all-square with par fours despite Levet over-shooting the green with his
second,
A replay of 18 brought further pars for the pair so it was off to the par-four
17th where Levet, who lost a sudden-death play-off to Ernie Els at the 2002 Open
at Muirfield, almost ended the tournament in spectacular fashion.
His second shot, a 125-yard wedge, pitched inches away from the flag and had a
look at the hole before spinning back to leave a two-foot putt.
McDowell responded with a sand wedge to four feet and birdies for both took
them back to the 18th for a third - and final - time.
Levet was first to play his second after being outdriven once again by his
opponent but the Frenchman turned over a six iron and it found the water to the
front left of the green.
McDowell knocked a safe seven iron to 14 feet and when Levet, having taken a
penalty drop, failed to hole his chip the Irishman two-putted for the title.
Afterwards the former Walker Cup star admitted he felt like this was his first
professional victory.
"This has been so hard to put away, it didn't matter how many birdies I made,
how many under par I got, they were still with me," he added.
"When I won in Sweden I felt I was still an amateur. I feel this is my first
professional victory and I am very happy man.
"When I won in Sweden as I was two months into my professional career.
Looking back and knowing what I know now and feeling how much better my game is
now I feel I was still an amateur then.
"I have had two years of working, grinding out here and it is a different
world. I feel I worked for this one.
"This feels five times better than Sweden."
A philosophical Levet, who had not been happy with his form going into the
tournament, said of his play-off error: "I had a little six iron on the last
and hit it fat into the lake.
"But I wasn't playing well coming into this week so if someone had said I
would be in a play-off I would have taken it. It just seems when I play well
someone else does as well."
Another Frenchman Gregory Havret took third place, his final round of 65
taking him to 18 under, while Argentina's Angel Cabrera finished a further
stroke back on 17 under par after a closing 69.
Scotland's Alastair Forsyth finished as the top Briton in fifth after a
closing 67 took him to 15 under, while pre-tournament favourite Ian Poulter left
himself too much to do in his final round and a 68 was good only enough for a
tie for sixth.
Final-round collated scores & totals (Gbr(unless stated, par 72):
197 Graeme McDowell (Irl) 66 66 65 (McDowell wins after fourth extra Play-off
hole), Thomas Levet (Fra) 67 65 65
198 Gregory Havret (Fra) 64 69 65
199 Angel Cabrera (Arg) 67 63 69
201 Alastair Forsyth 69 65 67
202 Marcel Siem (Ger) 67 66 69, Ian Poulter 68 66 68
Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 67 64 71
203 Anders Hansen (Den) 68 69 66, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 72 64 67 Martin
Maritz (Rsa) 67 66 70
204 Robert Coles 68 67 69
205 Mark Roe 64 69 72, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 69 67 69 Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 68
70 67, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 67 66 72, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 73 63 69,
Simon Khan 70 68 67
206 Markus Brier (Aut) 72 69 65, Peter Hanson (Swe) 74 68 64, Gary Evans 67 69
70, Mark Foster 66 69 71, David Lynn 66 70 70
207 Richard Green (Aud) 72 69 66, Philip Golding 71 68 68, Barry Lane 73 65
69, Paul Broadhurst 69 69 69
208 Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 73 69 66, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 65 72 71,
Marcus Fraser (Aus) 70 69 69, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 70 67 71, Paul Marantz
(Aus) 69 69 70, Anthony Wall 67 70 71, Cesar Monasterio (Arg) 66 70 72, Ivo
Giner (Spa) 71 70 67, Steven O'Hara 69 70 69, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 71 66 71,
Damien McGrane (Irl) 68 72 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 70 67 71
209 Santiago Luna (Spa) 70 70 69, Terry Price (Aus) 69 69 71, Raymond Russell
71 71 67, David Park 69 72 68
210 Marc Farry (Fra) 70 72 68, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 72 68 70, Christopher
Hanell (Swe) 65 74 71, Andrew Marshall 70 71 69
211 Stephen Gallacher 68 72 71, Wade Ormsby (Aus) 71 70 70, David Howell 69 72
70, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 70 71 70
Sebastian Fernandez (Arg) 70 68 73, Robert Rock 71 70 70, Fernando Roca (Spa)
69 70 72, Jose Manuel Carriles (Spa) 70 71 70, Brett Rumford (Aus) 68 69 74
212 Darren Fichardt (Rsa) 69 69 74, Jesus Arruti (Spa) 71 68 73, Jonathan
Lomas 72 69 71, James Hepworth 69 70 73
213 Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 71 70 72, Gary Orr 73 69 71, Gianluca Baruffaldi
(Ita) 70 71 72, Jamie Spence 67 69 77
214 Gary Emerson 73 68 73, Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 69 73 72, Alan McLean 68 73
73, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 75 67 72
215 Matthew Blackey 69 73 73, Andrew Coltart (Sco) 69 72 74, Steven Jeppesen
(Swe) 72 68 75, Paul Eales 72 70 73, Paul Lawrie 69 72 74
217 Per Nyman (Swe) 69 73 75, Peter Baker 70 70 77
222 Martin Lemesurier 72 69 81
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