England's Matt Fitzpatrick eases to French Open win for 4th title of the year

PARIS — Matt Fitzpatrick eased to victory at the French Open on Sunday for his fourth title of the year.

The Englishman shot a 1-under 70 in the final round and was 20 under for the tournament, outclassing the chasing pack led by Spaniard Ángel Hidalgo (67), who finished three strokes back.

“Obviously delighted to get it over the line, it was definitely a battle today," Fitzpatrick said. "Didn’t have my best stuff for the first 12 holes, there’s a lot of patience but coming down the stretch today, to hit the shots that I did and make the putts I did was special.”

The win capped a special few weeks for Fitzpatrick who, with his wife Katherine, recently welcomed their first child.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “I can’t wait to get home and see them.”

Local favorite Tom Vaillant, a two-time winner on the smaller Alps Tour but still looking for his first European tour title, started the day second but dropped back to finish joint-third along with three other players after a final-day 70.

Fitzpatrick already has won the Valspar Championship and the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour, along with teaming with younger brother Alex to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. But he was disappointed with his missed cut in the British Open, along with substandard play in the PGA Tour’s postseason.

Hidalgo's second-place finish guaranteed him a spot at the British Open at St. Andrews next year. The event at Le Golf National was the first in “The Open Qualifying Series,” which continues at next month’s Spanish Open.