NORTHERN IRISHMAN MAKES UP EIGHT SHOTS ON AMERICAN LEADER

McDOWELL RETAINS ALSTOM OPEN 

TITLE AFTER STADLER (76) SLUMPS 
FROM THE GOLF CHANNEL WEBSITE
Graeme McDowell said earlier in the week that if Kevin Stadler kept playing the way he was playing, no one was going to catch him. 

Fortunately for the Northern Irishman (pictured), Stadler stumbled on Sunday and McDowell's steady 67 in rainy conditions was enough to wrestle the Alstom Open de France trophy away from the 54-hole leader at Le Golf National. 
While Stadler certainly had an off day, it was his missed 3-footer on 18 to force a play-off that will probably sting the most. 
McDowell's eight-stroke comeback marked his 10th European Tour victory, his first since last year's French Open when he beat Richard Sterne by four strokes. 

 Kevin Stadler quotes
"It was tough and I drove it terrible today.  If you miss the fairway, you're going to get punished out here.  That's just the way it is.  I played great for a couple of days and had tons of chances, but spent all day in the knee deep stuff today and the score showed it.
" It was so miserable on the front nine today, I was practically expecting to bogey every hole.  It was virtually impossible.  I just hung in there and obviously made a couple of birdies late to have a chance.  It was unfortunate on the last, I played a little safe second shot and I felt good over the putt, but just whiffed it unfortunately."

 FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4x71)
279 G McDowell  (Nir) 70 69 73 67
280 K Stadler (USA) 64 68 72 76, T Jaidee (Tha) 70 69 69 72
281 R Karlsson (Swe) 73 69 70 69
282 J Donaldson (Wal) 67 72 74 69, M Baldwin (Eng) 70 71 70 71
283 M Hoey  (Nir) 73 66 73 71
284 V Riu  (Fra) 68 67 73 76
285 O Fisher  (Eng) 69 71 77 68, F Zanotti (Par) 73 70 75 67
286 W Ormsby (Aus) 70 75 69 72
287 K Broberg (Swe) 70 74 72 71, D McGrane (Irl) 71 69 72 75, M Kaymer (Ger) 72 68 70 77, M Carlsson  (Swe) 73 72 70 72, G Bourdy (Fra) 73 72 72 70, M Nixon (Eng) 71 72 70 74,288 G Stal  (Fra) 74 68 74 72, D Bobrowski (Fra) 73 70 73 72, S Kapur (Ind) 73 69 76 70, J Luiten (Ned) 73 69 73 73, S Jamieson  (Sco) 69 70 74 75, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 70 70 71 77, S Kjeldsen (Den) 72 73 71 72, S Gallacher (Sco) 66 73 74 75
289 R Fisher (Eng) 72 68 77 72, M Siem  (Ger) 65 72 77 75, A Sullivan (Eng) 73 71 72 73, F Molinari (Ita) 70 72 74 73, M Warren (Sco) 69 73 73 74, M Fitzpatrick  (Eng) 69 74 74 72, M Foster (Eng) 69 70 73 77, M Korhonen (Fin) 72 72 71 74, F Aguilar (Chi) 67 73 77 72 
290 D Howell (Eng) 72 72 72 74, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 70 72 77 71, E Molinari  (Ita) 70 75 75 70, S Webster (Eng) 73 68 76 73, A Levy (Fra) 69 72 72 77, R Santos  (Por) 71 74 72 73, E Goya (Arg) 75 66 74 75, R Kakko  (Fin) 68 74 73 75
291 J Quesne  (Fra) 74 71 68 78, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 77 66 70 78
292 D Lynn (Eng) 73 69 72 78, L Slattery (Eng) 70 73 75 74, G Maybin (Nir) 73 68 76 75
293 J Knutzon (USA) 72 72 76 73, S Dyson  (Eng) 73 71 75 74, V Dubuisson  (Fra) 76 68 76 73, M Manassero (Ita) 68 73 75 77, A Hansen (Den) 71 71 73 78, M Lundberg (Swe) 75 68 74 76, A Gee  (Eng) 72 72 73 76, M Ford (Eng) 70 74 70 79 
294 J Hansen  (Den) 72 69 76 77, D Huizing (Ned) 72 73 74 75, R Sterne  (RSA) 70 75 73 76
295 T Linard (Fra) 72 70 73 80, P Waring  (Eng) 71 73 78 73, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 72 72 77 74
297 M Kieffer (Ger) 72 73 75 77, A McArthur  (Sco) 76 67 76 78, J Heath  (Eng) 71 73 76 77, J Brun (am) (Fra) 73 72 75 77 
298 E De La Riva  (Esp) 73 71 75 79 
299 P Sjöland (Swe) 73 71 82 73, S Hansen (Den) 74 70 78 77 
301 A Kaleka  (Fra) 72 73 75 81


What it means: G-Mac's Sunday charge was the largest comeback on the European Tour this season and likely locks up his spot on the European Ryder Cup team, either by points, or now a much easier captain's pick by Paul McGinley. 
Round of the day: While the rest of the field struggled with the conditions, evidenced by only seven players finishing the tournament under par, McDowell looked at ease Sunday, making five birdies, only dropping a shot on his final hole of the day.
Best of the rest: Paraguy's Fabrizio Zanotti matched McDowell's 67 on Sunday, but still finished the tournament 1 over. Karlsson and Donaldson shot matching 2-under 69s to move into the mix, though neither was ever seriously in contention to win.
Biggest disappointment: If Stadler didn't win this tournament after leading since Day 1 and by four after the third round, this was his dubious honour to claim. And that's exactly what he did, closing with a 5-over 76 in tough conditions. 
After a tough stretch on the front nine where he went 5 over through four holes, he fought back with three birdies on the back side before missing a 3-footer on the last that would've forced a play-off.
Quote of the Day: "That's not the way you want to win but we'll take it." - McDowell.

McDOWELL'S FRENCH TITLE FOR 2ND

YEAR IN A ROW - AND THAT'S A FIRST!

  REPORT FROM BELFAST TELEGRAPH

Graeme McDowell produced a brilliant final round to overturn an eight-shot deficit and successfully defend a tournament for the first time in his career on Sunday

McDowell shrugged off the miserable conditions to retain his Alstom Open de France title, carding a closing 67 at Le Golf National, the joint-lowest round on a wet and windy day.
But the former US Open champion also had plenty of help from American Kevin Stadler, who missed from two feet for par on the 18th to force a sudden death play-off.
Stadler had seen his four-shot overnight lead disappear with a front nine of 41, but had battled back well with birdies on the 14th and 16th to pull within one of McDowell, who then carded his only bogey of the day on the 18th after finding heavy rough off the tee.
That left Stadler needing two pars to force extra holes but after holding his nerve on the 17th, the world number 62 missed his second tap-in of the day to gift McDowell a 10th European Tour title.