Martin Kaymer of Germany won the €4 million Open de France Alstom at Le Golf National, Parisafter a dramatic playoff victory over England’s Lee Westwood who is a client of StrokeAverage.com.

From the tee, both players found the deep rough off the right hand side of the spectacularly difficult 18th hole.

Kaymer’s second from 175 yards crept over the large lake guarding the green, but Westwood then looked on in amazement as his approach shot came up agonisingly short with his nine-iron.

The Englishman then played a poor pitch from the drop zone, his fourth shot, and Kaymer clinched the biggest win of his career worth €666,000 by sinking a 20-footer for par.

Westwood, who was left still seeking his first win since the British Masters in September 2007, was philosophical in defeat.

“Martin’s ball has carried the water by a foot and mine must have went in by a foot. That’s the chance you take in play-offs,” he said.

“You can’t judge the week by that and I certainly can’t be disappointed by anything after the way I played today. If I can carry that on, then I will be winning events by a couple of shots and not going to play-offs. It is a good time to start playing well.”

Lee now heads off to Loch Lomond for the Barclays Scottish Open before he makes his way to Turnberry for The Open Championship.

Billy Foster his caddy will be taking a week off to do a charity walk so Dave McNeilly will be on his bag this week.

Alone in third place at 10-under was England’s Ian Poulter who carded a 67, with Anders Hansen of Denmark, who closed with a 66, and Peter Hanson of Sweden, who had a 70, tied for fourth a shot further back.

It was the third win of 25-year-old Kaymer’s pro career after Abu Dhabi and the BMW International last year as he became the first German since Bernhard Langer 25 years ago to lift the French Open.

With overnight leader Rafa Echenique of Argentina, who made a stunning Albatross last week in Germany, falling away quickly and Poulter’s charge from five strokes off the pace coming to grief at the tricky 15th where he found water, it basically came down to a two-way battle down the back nine between Westwood, who swiftly covered the front nine in 32 shots (4 under) before making three consecutive birdies at the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes, and Kaymer who made two bogeys in his final round of 3 under.