Gregory Havret will head into the first major tournament of his career on a champagne-induced high this week after his stunning Scottish Open success at the weekend.
The Frenchman defied the odds and Phil Mickelson to pull off the biggest win of his career in a play-off with the world No. 3 after four days of golf that belied his status as the 320th-ranked player in the world.
Havret, who was showered with fizz by his compatriots Thomas Levet and Raphael Jacquelin after clinching his victory with a par to Mickelson's bogey at the first play-off hole, also ensured he will be in the field for the British Open at Carnoustie. It will be his first appearance in one of golf's major tournaments.
Photo: AP
"A few months ago, I missed qualifying for the US Open by one spot, so this is just like a dream," he said.
"I don't have enough words to say how much this means to me. I always knew it was possible, especially on a course like this one, which I love so much, but, especially playing with Phil, it was just an amazing experience," he said.
Having missed no fewer than nine cuts this season, Havret suddenly found some form at the French Open two weeks ago and followed that up with a share of third place at the European Open in Dublin last weekend.
It was his first win since he claimed the 2001 Italian Open in his first year on tour and the £500,000 (US$1 million) winner's cheque was four times bigger than his previous best - which came in Dublin.
The remarkable turnaround in his fortunes is something Havret attributes to the work he has done with Jos Vanstiphout, the Belgian sports pscyhologist most noted for helping Ernie Els realize his full potential.
"Jos came to me at the French and we spoke a little bit every day and this week it helped me a lot," Havret explained.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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