Ronnie Clark overcomes 'Augusta-style greens' to win French Senior Men's Open

Clark, the 2022 Scottish Seniors’ champion, followed an opening 71 with rounds of 76 and 77 to end up in a tie with home player Christophe Ormancey and England’s Stephen Creed.

In a sudden-death shoot-out, Ormancey bowed out at the first hole before Clark, having survived a huge let-off when Creed three-putted from eight feet, eventually came out on top.

“What a roller-coaster,” he told The Scotsman. “You can’t begin to understand what a tough examination that golf course was - the greens were like Augusta!

“I started the last round three shots behind and my mindset was just about trying to make the top five to pick up some WAGR points. Then, after 12 holes, I’m three ahead and you think you’ve got it done.

“The last hole - a par 5 - I can’t really explain to you how brutal it was. If I’d hit a good drive and a good 3-wood, you’d be hitting a 9-iron into an elevated green, which is just brutal. I’ve gone on one leg on day one to try and tap in a putt on the last and missed it. So I’m walking off the last green in regulation thinking that it had cost me it.”

Thankfully for him, it didn’t, though there was more drama to come in the play-off. “The French boy made 6 at the first while we both three putted before I then horse-shoed out from seven feet to win at the next one,” added Clark.

“We then go up the last hole. With Derek Paton on the bag, I hit driver, punched a 7-iron that hit a tree. Then hit a 3-wood into the long stuff. Had to go at right angles across the fairway. Came up short with the next one then pitched it dead for a 7.

“Stephen is in a deep bunker short right in three and comes out eight feet above the hole. I’ve got my cap and glasses off ready to shake hands. But he power lips out to four feet and misses the return.

“We then halved the first in 4s and he then clatters a tree with his second shot and goes out of bounds. Derek’s like ‘Ronnie, just play for a 6, man’. He actually took a 9 and I made 5. Honestly, I’m on cloud nine. Listen, I’m 63. I’m on the back nine. But wow!”

Clark has sights set on a second successive appearance in the US Senior Amateur, having given a great account of himself in the USGA event last year.

“The big goal is to get into the top 25 in the WAGR and get back to the US Seniors and I was sitting 21st before this event,” he said. “I am sitting here with some of the boys and they’re saying to me ‘Ronnie, don’t go to Bulgaria, don’t go to Luxembourg and you’ll be in the US Seniors’. But I’m like ‘sorry boys, I want to play. I want to keep going’.

“I got to the last 16 in US Seniors last year and one more round would have got me an exemption. The USGA runs it like a US Open - it’s just awesome.”

Along with the likes of 2023 Scottish Seniors’ champion Paton, who finished in the top 20 in this event, and Nick Robson, Clark is loving life on the seniors’ circuit in the amateur game. “We are belting into the gym three times a week. We are all hitting balls and going to see coaches. It’s just awesome!” he said.