Golf: Bickerton praises Campbell after final round tussle

John Bickerton

VERSAILLES - New French Open golf champion John Bickerton heaped praise on Michael Campbell despite the former US Open champion throwing away any chance of victory in Versailles.

Campbell, the overnight leader by one shot, found the water guarding the green with his second shot at the 18th to eventually finish with a double bogey and finish in three-way tie for third.

England's Bickerton, who played the last round in the company of Campbell, held his nerve to par the closing three holes and claim the €666,660 ($1.4 million) first prize.

Bickerton, 36, carded a final round 69 to win by one stroke with an 11-under-par winning total of 273 from Ireland's Padraig Harrington.

Campbell, looking for his first win since last October, signed off for a disappointing two-over-par 73, and shared third place on eight-under-par with England's Ian Poulter (69) and Australia's Marcus Fraser (69).

"It is impossible to sum up my feelings at the moment as it's just been madness since so I need to go home to tonight and reflect on this win with a couple of large beers or even three or four," Bickerton said.

Campbell stalled at the start of the last day, recording six straight pars before carving a drive right into bushes at the par four seventh where he was forced to take a penalty drop en route to a bogey.

Bickerton seized the advantage with three birdies in five holes from the 11th before taking a double-bogey after finding a water hazard with his drive at the 15th.

Campbell also bogeyed the same hole to fall two shots behind Bickerton but moved to within one when the former US Open champion holed a two-foot birdie putt for birdie at the 17th.

But any chance Campbell had of securing victory ended when he put his seven iron second shot into the water at the last.

And while Bickerton was accepting the spoils of victory, Campbell was already well on the way to the airport.

Bickerton afterwards praised Campbell despite his 72nd hole blemish.

"There was naturally some relief when Cambo bogeyed the 15th to drop two behind me, but it was not till the last when I saw his seven iron start to turn that I could breath a little relief," Bickerton said.

"I still needed to find the green myself but after seeing Cambo's shot land in the water I decided to go with a five iron and play safely into the green from where I had two very nervous knee-knocking putts to win.

"But Cambo was great to play with over the last round and was very gracious after we had finished. He wished me well and said how pleased he was that I hung on to win.

"It would have been easy for he and I to get mixed up in a match-play type situation out there today but we didn't.

"I just stuck to my own game and tried not to worry too much about what he and others were doing.

"I know Cambo was looking to win this as he hasn't won this year, but I am sure with the way he is playing that he could very well come out next week in Ireland and win there."

Campbell received €206,666 ($441.300) for his third place, moving him up 20 places to 25th on the European Order of Merit with earnings this year of €492,542.

- NZPA