Oldcorner, Russell and Richie Ramsay in top 10

PETER BAKER WINS IN FRANCE - THAT
MEANS HE WILL RETURN TO
EUROPEAN TOUR NEXT SEASON

By Roddy Williams
Challenge Tour Press Officer

Peter Baker received the perfect 40th birthday present when he defeated fellow Englishman Ross McGowan at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off to win the Open A.G.F Allianz Côtes D’Armor Bretagne today and secure a return to the European Tour.
Baker, who started the final round with a two-stroke lead, shot a final round 71, only for his 13 under par target of 267 to be matched by McGowan, who spectacularly birdied the last two holes at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André, France, for a closing 69 to make the play-off.
But Baker was not to be denied. He made a 4 at the first play-off hole to McGowan’s bogey 5 to claim the £15,621 first prize.
By way of consolation McGowan moved to the top of the Challenge Tour Rankings after his second place cheque for £10,739 took him past Chile’s Felipe Aquilar with earnings of £85,266.
Baker’s second Challenge Tour title of the season, on the day he celebrated his 40th birthday, will herald a new beginning for the former Ryder Cup player and three-time European Tour champion as he climbed to 10th on the Challenge Tour Rankings.
The top 20 at the end of the season earn automatic promotion to the European Tour. It has been five years since Baker has held a full card on the European Tour and with just three events of the Challenge Tour season left, his place in the top 20 is now assured.
“It is incredible,” said Baker. “This win is huge for me. It was a tough day but I kept going and my experience carried me through. Getting my card back means everything to me. It has been a good few years without a full card. Now I am itching to get out there again. They say life begins at 40 so let’s hope so and things are better than my 30s.”
Baker started the day with a two stroke lead but was soon overtaken by Jamie Donaldson as the Welshman picked up four birdies and an eagle in his first 11 holes. But Baker hit back with an eagle of his own on the 11th after dropping two shots on the previous three holes and then Donaldson’s challenge faltered when he dropped three shots over the last five holes.
McGowan, already twice a winner on the Challenge Tour this season, then came through at the end with his two birdies to tie Baker but a mistake at the first extra hole, where he hooked his drive into the bunker and then hit his second heavy into an almost lie in the greenside bunker on his way to a 5, proved costly. Baker safely found the putting surface in two and two-putted from 15 feet for the title.
“I played really well for the first three days but today I just couldn’t hole any putts,” added Baker. “I must have lipped out four or five times. I finally holed one from ten feet for the eagle on the 11th and just hung in there.
“It is always tough to win any tournament, unless you are Tiger Woods, but for us mere mortals it is tough. This was very, very special.”
It was a good tournament also for Scots Andrew Oldcorn, Raymond Russell and Richie Ramsay. Oldcorn, who is down to play in this coming week's Scottish Alliance championship at Monifieth and Arbroath, finished fifth on 270. Raymond Russell came sixth on 274 and Richie Ramsay finished joint eighth on 275 after covering the final 36 holes in eight-under-par 65 and 67.
It is the Aberdonian's highest finish yet on the Challenge Tour and the way he is playing, he could yet make the top 20 at the end of the season and with it a place on the European Tour next season.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4 x 70)

267 Peter Baker (Eng) 64 67 65 71, Ross McGowan (Eng) 71 62 65 69 (Baker won play-off at the first extra hole)
268 Jamie Donaldson (Wal) 68 66 66 68
269 François Delamontagne (Fra) 69 68 66 66
270 Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 67 66 70 67
274 Raymond Russell (Sco) 68 68 70 68, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 70 67 70 67
275 Richie Ramsay (Sco) 70 73 65 67
276 Steve Alker (Nzl) 70 68 68 70, Gustavo Rojas (Arg) 67 71 69 69
277 Frédéric Cupillard (Fra) 68 73 65 71, Jamie Little (Eng) 71 66 68 72
278 Nicolas Joakimides (Fra) 70 70 68 70, Daniel Wardrop (Eng) 74 70 66 68, Matthew Cort (Eng) 70 70 68 70, Paul Nilbrink (Nor) 71 70 65 72
279 Stephen Browne (Irl) 69 72 67 71, Richard Kilpatrick (Nir) 67 71 72 69, Shaun P Webster (Eng) 72 70 67 70, Emilien Chamaulte (Fra) 72 69 68 70
280 Ben Mason (Eng) 72 70 69 69, Paul Dwyer (Eng) 69 66 71 74, Eric Moreul (Fra) 71 66 67 76, Martin Maritz (Rsa) 67 71 72 70, Chris Gane (Eng) 68 71 70 71, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 68 70 69 73, Gareth Wright (Wal 68 68 71 73
281 Michael Hill (Fra) 70 67 71 73, Gustavo Acosta (Arg) 71 72 73 65, Pontus Ericsson (Swe) 71 67 72 71, Olivier David (Fra) 68 73 71 69
282 Ally Mellor (Eng) 73 70 68 71, Jerome Theunis (Bel) 73 70 70 69, Leif Westerberg (Swe) 66 69 73 74, Per Barth (Swe) 72 71 75 64
283 Wilhelm Schauman (Swe) 68 74 70 71, Gary Clark (Eng) 70 71 67 75, Liam Bond (Wal 75 69 71 68, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 70 64 75 74, David Horsey (Eng) 70 70 73 70
284 Jean-Nicolas Billot (Fra) 73 69 71 71, David Dixon (Eng) 68 71 72 73, Romain Bechu (Am) (Fra) 63 79 76 66, Damien Perrier (Am) (Fra) 69 70 71 74
285 Adam Gee (Eng) 73 71 71 70, Robert Coles (Eng) 73 69 75 68, Sam Osborne (Eng) 66 73 68 78
286 Stuart Manley (Wal 68 71 73 74, Eric Chaudouet (Fra) 72 72 70 72, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 67 71 71 77
287 Julien Xanthopoulos (Fra) 71 73 69 74, Kasper Linnet Jorgensen (Den) 70 72 74 71
288 Simon Lilly (Eng) 69 70 78 71
289 Gareth Paddison (Nzl) 75 68 69 77, Soren Juul (Den) 72 70 74 73, Jacques Chevallier (Fra) 75 69 72 73, Victor Riu (Fra) 68 75 74 72
290 Jean-Charles Thoreux (Fra) 70 73 71 76, Benjamin Miarka (Ger) 76 68 70 76, Nicolas Mourlon (Fra) 76 68 73 73, Matthew Zions (Aus) 72 69 80 69
293 Mickael Dieu (Fra) 74 70 74 75
298 Adrien Mörk (Fra) 73 68 80 77
302 Nicolas Allain (Fra) 71 73 83 75
Disqualified: Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 69 71 77 - .
Retired: Scott Henderson (Sco) 73 70 77 - ,Stuart Davis (Eng) 70 73 - - .