Matthieu Pavon écrit une nouvelle page de l'histoire du golf français

Matthieu Pavon, a French professional golfer, made history on Saturday by winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in California, United States. This is an unprecedented achievement for French golf on the PGA circuit in the modern era. Pavon, 31, won in only his third tournament on the North American professional circuit, which he joined this season after finishing fifth in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last year.

« I don’t have the words, it’s incredible, I feel like there’s still another round tomorrow (Sunday), » he said, his voice trembling, in an interview with CBS Sports. « This is the greatest moment of my career, I’ve dreamt of it since I was a child. It’s been a long journey. I waited seven years on the European Tour to win my first victory, and now I win in America. It’s just exceptional. »

Pavon’s victory is the first for a Frenchman on the PGA Tour in 117 years, according to a tweet from the official PGA Tour account. The son of former footballer Michel Pavon (Toulouse, Montpellier, Bordeaux) continues the golden period for French golf, following Celine Boutier’s exceptional year in 2023. Boutier won her first major tournament at Evian and finished the year ranked third in the world. The French golfers will have the opportunity to shine at home during the Paris Olympics from July 26th to August 11th.

« It’s one of my goals this year to qualify and represent my country in Paris. I can say it’s off to a good start, » Pavon said with a smile during a press conference.

On Saturday, Matthieu Pavon carded a 69 (3-under-par) for a total score of 275, one shot better than Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard and two shots better than Germany’s Stephan Jaeger and Americans Jake Knapp and Nate Lashley. Pavon secured his victory after a thrilling final round in California, starting the day in second place in the provisional leaderboard, one shot behind Jaeger.

Playing in the final group, he was propelled by a magnificent front nine (3-under-par with four birdies) to take the lead and have a two-shot advantage over the competition when he reached the 16th hole (a par 3). However, he started the hole poorly by landing in a bunker. After a medium sand shot, a long and superb putt allowed him to save par. A magnificent shot spoiled by a bogey on a missed short putt on the 17th hole (a par 4), leaving him with a one-shot lead heading to the 18th and final hole, under pressure from Nicolai Hojgaard in their group.

Pavon had a difficult start on his last hole of the weekend, landing in the rough. However, he skillfully played his third shot and sank the putt for a winning birdie on the par-5 hole. The golfer from southwestern France concludes a fantastic January after finishing 7th in Hawaii in mid-January in his first PGA Tour event. He had won his first European Tour event in October 2023 in Madrid.

« That title had shown me that I was capable of great things. It gave me confidence. With my team, we do everything necessary to be competitive at the highest level, » Pavon said. « I had almost no pressure coming to North America. It’s just an opportunity. If I fail, I can go back to Europe and start over. I appreciate every moment here, these are precious moments. »

With his victory, the Frenchman, ranked 78th in the world before this week, will make a leap in the rankings and has earned entry to the biggest tournaments this season.