David Ravetto took his first DP World Tour victory at the 2024 D+D Real Czech Masters with a stunning final round of 64.
The Frenchman fended off a challenge from third-round leader Jesper Svensson and hit the decisive shot on the 16th hole as his rival faltered for the only time all day at the PGA National OAKS Prague.
Ravetto, in his 49th appearance on the DP World Tour, became the first French winner on the tour 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 overjoyed, I’m lost for words, I’m sorry!”
Ravetto holed out from 24 feet on the first hole to tie Svensson for the first of six birdies in a 30-hole outward nine and secured a three-shot lead over the field.
He holed the par-3 third hole from 9.4 metres and repeated this with a good approach shot on the next hole, where Svensson also got his fourth round underway.
Ravetto was able to gain another lead before the turn on his sixth and second consecutive shot, hitting an accurate approach shot to the eighth hole over a bunker and narrowly missing a hole-out albatross from the right rough before two-putting the ninth.
Svensson also made birdie on the ninth hole and then hit another birdie from just in front of and left of the tenth green to close the gap to two – which was narrowed to one when Ravetto made bogey on the twelfth hole for the third time in four days.
Both made birdies on the 13th hole, and Frederic Lacroix added his seventh birdie of the round, which included an eagle, to move to 19 under par for the week.
Ravetto landed in the left rough on the next hole, while Svensson hit a 400-yard shot over the slope on the right side of the fairway, as Ravetto had done on Saturday. However, the Swede’s birdie putt slipped past, so the result remained unchanged.
Svensson’s superb approach to the 15th hole allowed for a birdie, but Ravetto responded from nine feet while Lacroix, who had made bogey on the 17th hole, shot 65 to set the clubhouse target at 18 under par.
The decisive moment came on the 16th hole, when Svensson went into the trees on the left and then needed three putts, resulting in a double bogey – only the second time this week he had dropped a shot on a hole. Ravetto, who was two shots down short of the green, opted to putt and timed it perfectly to set up a birdie and increase his lead to four.
After leveling the pars on hole 17 – which saw German Max Rottluff manage just one birdie all day – Ravetto was able to hit two calm shots into the heart of the final green, where he two-putted for the win.
Ravetto, who won the Dimension Data Pro-Am co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and Sunshine Tour this season, was sprayed with champagne by his French compatriots after his winning putt and said: “That was really nice of them, thank you, that’s a special moment. I also want to thank Jesper and Adrien (Saddier), it was a really nice game today and sharing it with my friends was fun.”
The 27-year-old is in his second year in a Q-School game category and admitted that the win took a huge weight off his shoulders.
“It’s going to change everything for me,” he said. “I mean, I’m sure I’ll have a job next year, so that’s a good feeling! I think I’ll play a little more freely now when I tee off on Thursday morning.”
“After hitting my drive down the middle of the fairway, it was very emotional walking up the 18th hole. I almost broke down and started crying on the fairway. When I saw my caddy and my girlfriend, I couldn’t hold it back anymore.
“I’m sure we’ll have a great party – French people, we know how to do it! There will definitely be something here in Prague tonight and maybe in Paris next week.”
Ravetto’s compatriot Saddier, the third member of the final group, shared third place with Lacroix and Scotsman Richie Ramsay.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger finished 176 under par alongside English trio Brandon Robinson Thompson, Alex Fitzpatrick and Paul Waring, while Richard Mansell and Darius van Driel shared 10th place, one stroke behind.