Michael Kim secured his maiden DP World Tour title after a superb up-and-down from the bunker on the last hole to win the FedEx Open de France.
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Kim saved his best until last on Sunday, firing birdies at the 16th and 17th to take the outright lead before producing a stunning sand save on the 18th for an unlikely par and a 16 under total to secure a one-stroke victory over playing partner Elvis Smylie and an inspired Jeong weon Ko.
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The American’s heroics on the closing hole broke the hearts of the French crowd, who were denied the chance to see home favourite Ko contest a play-off after he had set the target at 15 under thanks to some fireworks of his own.
With third-round co-leaders Min Woo Lee, of Australia, and American Brooks Koepka unable to catch him at the summit over their closing holes, Kim’s flawless final-round 65 proved enough for his first worldwide victory for over seven years, having last won the 2018 John Deere Classic on the PGA TOUR.
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Kim started the day one shot off the pace but, in perfect scoring conditions at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche, he joined the lead with a birdie from almost 40 feet at the second.
He turned in 33 after picking up further shots on the seventh and ninth before a four-foot birdie on the tenth brought him within one stroke of the lead.
Five successive pars saw him stay in touch with the leaders before he grabbed a share of the lead on 15 under with a close-range birdie at the 16th.
He looked to have wrapped up victory when he overtook early clubhouse leader Ko with a birdie from seven feet on the 17th but there were twists and turns still to come.
Needing a par at the last to seal the deal, Kim found a bunker and faced a tricky up-and-down.
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After escaping the sand, he left himself 16 feet for his par and pulled off an incredible save to set a target no-one else could match.
He finished on 16 under par, one ahead of Australia’s Smylie and home hero Ko, who fired two eagles in a breathtaking 65 of his own to jump a massive 75 places on the Race to Dubai Rankings to 59th and secure his playing rights for 2026.
Five-time Major Champion Koepka finished alone in fourth on 14 under after playing the back nine in one over par.
Player quotes
Michael Kim: It feels amazing. I haven’t won a tournament since 2018 at the John Deere Classic and I really wanted to put on a good showing here this week. I’m just so happy and grateful that I was able to come out with the victory.
I’ve had a really good year on the PGA TOUR this year. This feels like the perfect cherry on top and I hope to continue this throughout my career.
To be honest I felt like I hit a decent bunker shot. That green slides away so much that I knew it was going to be quick and it just didn’t run out as much as I thought.
Elvis (Smylie) gave me a decent look from the side and it somehow stayed pretty straight through the middle and I kind of blacked out when the putt went in.
