Bernd Wiesberger is entering the Open Championship with a monkey off his back and a ton of confidence.
Wiesberger fired a brilliant round of 65 that included five birdies in six holes on the front side to cruise to a three shot victory at the Alstom Open de France.
Wiesberger went out in 31 and made eight straight pars on the back nine before stamping his name on the trophy with a birdie on the 18th hole. Weisberger entered the day three shots back, but brilliant play on the front side and a stumble by 54 hole leader Jaco Van Zyl gave him a lead that he would not relinquish. His nearest competitor was playing partner James Morrison, who shot a bogey free 67 in the final round, but only managed to get within two of Wiesberger before Wiesberger's final hole birdie.
Wiesberger has been playing great golf the last couple of seasons, but was lacking a victory. He came close a couple of times, including playoff losses at last year's Lyoness Open and the Irish Open this season. This week, however, Wiesberger proved to be a fantastic closer.
The victory is Wiesberger's third on the European Tour and his first since 2012. This perhaps is Wiesberger's biggest win in his career, as the quality of field is much higher this week than it was in Wiesberger's previous two victories. It also comes two weeks prior to the Open Championship. Wiesberger, who was ranked 39th in the world prior to this week, may be one of the competitors to watch when the field takes over St. Andrews.
Frenchman Victor Dubuisson entered the final round four shots behind the leader, but his ball striking was off all day as he shot a 75 to fall outside the top 10.
The French Open is an event in the Open Qualifying Series, offering three spots to players not otherwise qualified for the Open Championship. Englishman James Morrison qualified by finishing second one week after shooting a 77 in the final round of the BMW International after entering with the lead. Morrison won in Spain a few weeks ago and appears to be in good form entering St. Andrews. Third round leader Jaco Van Zyl of South Africa, despite his struggles on Sunday, held on for the second qualifying spot. The third spot appeared to be going to American Brendan Steele, but a triple bogey on the 17th hole dropped him out of position. Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain birdied the 18th hole to secure the final qualifying spot.