Michael Kim rolled in a clutch par putt from 16 feet at the last to win the Open de France by a single shot on Sunday.
Kim saved his best until last, firing birdies at the 16th and 17th to take the outright lead before producing a stunning up-and-down from a bunker on the 18th for an unlikely par save.
The Americans’ heroics on the closing hole broke the hearts of the French crowd, who were denied the chance to see home favourite Jeong weon Ko contest a play-off after he had set the target at 15 under thanks to some fireworks of his own.
With third-round co-leaders Min Woo Lee and Brooks Koepka unable to catch him at the summit over their closing holes, Kim’s flawless final-round 65 proved enough for his first worldwide victory for over seven years, having last won the 2018 John Deere Classic on the PGA TOUR.
He finished on 16 under par, one ahead of Australia’s Elvis Smylie and home hero Ko, who fired two eagles in a breathtaking 65 of his own.
Five-time Major Champion Koepka finished alone in fourth on 14 under.
Kim started the day one shot off the pace but, in perfect scoring conditions at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche, he joined the lead with a birdie from almost 40 feet at the second.
He turned in 33 after picking up further shots on the seventh and ninth before a four-foot birdie on the tenth brought him within one stroke of the lead.
Five successive pars saw him stay in touch with the leaders before he grabbed a share of the lead on 15 under with a close-range birdie at the 16th.
He looked to have wrapped up victory when he overtook early clubhouse leader Ko with a birdie from seven feet on the 17th but there were twists and turns still to come.
Needing a par at the last to seal the deal, Kim found a bunker and faced a tricky up-and-down.
After escaping the sand, he left himself 16 feet for his par and pulled off an incredible save to set a target no-one else could match.
Kim said: “It feels amazing. I haven’t won a tournament since 2018 at the John Deere Classic and I really wanted to put on a good showing here this week.
“And I’m just so happy and grateful that I was able to come out with the victory.
“I’ve had a really good year on the PGA TOUR this year. This feels like the perfect cherry on top and I hope to continue this throughout my career.”
Speaking about his fantastic finish, Kim added: “To be honest I felt like I hit a decent bunker shot. That green slides away so much that I knew it was going to be quick and it just didn’t run out as much as I thought.
“Elvis (Smylie) gave me a decent look from the side and it somehow stayed pretty straight through the middle and I kind of blacked out when the putt went in.”
