David Ravetto claimed his maiden DP World Tour win at the 2024 D+D Real Czech Masters with a stunning closing round of 64.
The Frenchman held off the challenge of third-round leader Jesper Svensson, striking the decisive blow at the 16th as his rival faltered for the only time all day at PGA National OAKS Prague.
Ravetto, in his 49th DP World Tour outing, became the first French winner on the circuit since Matthieu Pavon at the 2023 acciona Open de Espana presented by Madrid.
He said: “It’s indescribable, I’m just super happy. I’m over the moon, I’m not going to find my words, I’m sorry!”
Ravetto holed from 24 feet at the first to move alongside Svensson, the first of six birdies in an outward nine of 30 to open up a three-shot lead on the field.
He holed from 31 feet at the par-three 3rd and backed it up with a good approach at the next, where Svensson also got his fourth round up and running.
Ravetto made another gain at the 6th and two in a row before the turn, hitting a dead-eye approach to the 8th over a bunker and going close to a hole-out albatross from the right rough before two-putting the 9th.
Svensson also birdied the 9th and then pitched in from short and left of the 10th green for another birdie to close the gap to two – which became one when Ravetto bogeyed the 12th for the third time in four days.
Both birdied the 13th, just as Frederic Lacroix added his seventh birdie of a round also featuring an eagle to move to 19 under for the week.
Ravetto found the left-hand rough at the next while Svensson produced a 400-yard drive using the downslope on the right of the fairway, as Ravetto had on Saturday. The Swede’s birdie putt slid by, though, meaning there was no change in the score.
Svensson’s superb approach to the 15th set up birdie but Ravetto responded from nine feet as Lacroix, having bogeyed the 17th, wrapped up a 65 to set the clubhouse target at 18 under.
The key moment arrived at the 16th as Svensson drove into the trees down the left and then three-putted for a double-bogey – just the second time all week he had dropped shots on any hole. Ravetto, just short of the green in two, opted to putt and judged it perfectly to set up a birdie and extend his lead to four.
Matching pars at the 17th – which yielded only one birdie all day, by Germany’s Max Rottluff – left Ravetto to calmly stroke two blows into the heart of the last green, where he two-putted for victory.
Ravetto, who won this season’s Dimension Data Pro-Am co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and Sunshine Tour, was sprayed with champagne by his fellow Frenchmen after his winning putt and said: “That was really nice of them, thanks, it’s a special moment. I want to thank Jesper and Adrien [Saddier] as well, it was a really nice game today and to share that with my friends, it was fun.”
The 27-year-old is in his second year on a Q School playing category and admitted the win takes a weight off his shoulders.
“Everything’s going to change for me” he said. “I mean, I’m sure to have a job next year now, so that’s a good feeling! I think I’m going to play a little bit more free when I tee up on a Thursday morning now.
“Walking up the 18th after driving the middle of the fairway was a lot of emotion, I almost cracked and started crying on the fairway. When I saw my caddie and my girlfriend I couldn’t hold it in any more.
“I’m sure we’ll celebrate nicely – French guys, we know how to do it! There’s probably got to be something here tonight in Prague and maybe in Paris next week.”
Ravetto’s compatriot Saddier, the third member of the final group, shared third place on 18 under with Lacroix and Scotland’s Richie Ramsay.
Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger finished on 16 under alongside English trio Brandon Robinson Thompson, Alex Fitzpatrick and Paul Waring, while 10th place was shared by England’s Richard Mansell and Dutchman Darius van Driel a further shot back.
South Africa’s Thomas Aiken shared 12th position on 14 under after a final-round 69.
– Edited report from DP World Tour website
Photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images
