Former Ryder Cup player Peter Baker secured his first Staysure Tour title at the Senior Open Hauts de France after a final round 67.
Baker, who joined the Staysure Tour in 2017, lead from start to finish at Arras Golf Resort, having shared the first round lead with Miguel Angel Martín and then took a one-stroke lead into the final round.
Making the turn three under the card, Baker birdied the 13th and 16th to move five strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard and cruised home to victory with a 13-under par total. It was his first since win on tour since the 2009 Credit Suisse Challenge on the Challenge Tour.
“I’m delighted to get my first win on the Staysure Tour,” said Baker, who represented Europe at the 1993 Ryder Cup. “I’m relieved I’ve done it. I was in a strong position going out, I just wanted to play as well as I had done the first two days and it all came good. When I birdied the 16th and was on the 17th tee I knew I was in a pretty strong position, so I knew a couple of pars would get the job done – but you still have to finish it off. I was really strong from about 130 yards in. It’s never really been my strong point but I pitched it really well and gave myself a lot of really good chances throughout the week.”
He added: “Hopefully this will give me some confidence to get up there again. No matter which Tour you play on, it’s always hard to win, so you keep going, do the right things, and give yourself a chance. I’ve now won tournaments in each of the last four decades, which is something I’m really proud of.”
South Africa’s James Kingston carded a final round 66 to take second place on eight under, one stroke ahead of Austria’s Markus Brier.