German Martin Kaymer won the French Open on Sunday after defeating former European number one Lee Westwood of Britain in a sudden-death playoff. Kaymer took the $930,000 first prize with a par at the first extra hole after both men had finished on 13-under-par 271, three strokes better than Briton Ian Poulter. After signing for a three-under 68, the young German fared better at the tough finishing hole at the National in the shootout. His ball just carried the lake and he was able to chip and putt from 18 feet, while Westwood, who had matched his 72 hole score with a 65, saw his ball slide into the water. A series of lengthy putts, the longest an 84-footer on the eighth, proved the key in the end to 24-year-old Kaymer's third European Tour victory. Westwood, though, with a similar hot putter as he ran in seven birdies came close to ending a run of four second places in 2008. A bogey on the long 14th subsequently cost Westwood the chance of outright victory. Kaymer's big chance came even later as he missed a birdie putt of only seven feet on the penultimate hole. “That was one of my few misses because my putting had been great all week,” Kaymer, who had equalled the course record 62 to lead the first round, told reporters. “I made so many putts from everywhere.” Victory takes Kaymer to fifth on the European money list and he is sure to move from 28th place into the world top 20. “The world ranking is the important thing to me,” added Kaymer. “I've never been so high before.” Westwood hid his disappointment with his best result of the season. “Playoffs are fickle. Martin carried the water by a foot and my ball went in by a foot,” the 2000 European number one said. “But I putted better today and that's what I need. Then I'll be winning events by a couple of shots and not needing playoffs.” A furious Poulter (67) blamed a press photographer for his round faltering over the closing holes, vowing he would not return to the tournament in future after finding the lake on the 15th. “It was a tournament I wanted to win and some stupid cameraman makes it difficult for you,” Poulter told reporters. “I had a simple wedge into 15 and he fired off three shots on my way down (in the swing) from 25 yards away. It was very difficult to get my mind back on the job then. “I'll not be back. It's a shame but that's what happens when you let novices come in and ruin our livelihoods.” Overnight leader Rafa Echenique's chances of a maiden victory looked slim when he ran up a triple-bogey seven on the 15th. When he repeated the feat on the 18th he plummeted to 13th place with a 77, eight strokes away from the playoff. Only a week before, the young Argentine albatrossed the final hole in Munich to take second place in the BMW International Open. Tiger holds two-shot lead In Maryland, Tiger Woods held a two-stroke lead over Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan midway through the final round of the $6 million AT&T National at Congressional Country Club Sunday. Through nine holes, world number one and tournament host Woods was two-under par on the pristine 7,255-yard course in suburban Washington, DC, and 12-under overall. Kim, the defending champion who began the day atop the leaderboard with Woods, took the lead briefly with a birdie on the opening hole but stumbled with bogeys on five and eight. He stayed within striking distance of Woods with a birdie on nine. Mahan was six-under on the day after 16 holes, managing seven birdies and just one bogey on the par four 14th. American Cameron Beckman was in fourth place, one stroke adrift of Kim and Mahan. At close on Saturday, Woods had squandered a three-stroke edge midway into his round but clung to a share of the lead with Kim after 54 holes at the PGA National. Woods had fired a third-round 70 while Kim shot 68 to put himself into a dream first-ever PGA pairing against 14-time major winner Woods, the man whose heroic feats prompted him to play golf.
