Matt Fitzpatrick won the FedEx Open de France by three shots at Le Golf National, completing his fourth worldwide title of 2026 after a patient final-round 70.
The Englishman finished on 20 under par, three ahead of Spain’s Angel Hidalgo, having begun the final day with a five-stroke advantage. Fitzpatrick’s lead was reduced to two during a demanding opening stretch, but birdies at the 13th and 15th restored his control before a bogey at the final hole left him clear of the field.
The result delivered Fitzpatrick’s 11th DP World Tour victory and his first on the circuit since the DP World Tour Championship. Sky Sports listed the 32-year-old as world number four, while the BBC reported that the French Open success was his fourth title of the season.
Fitzpatrick stays patient as the lead narrows
Fitzpatrick had taken a five-shot overnight lead into the closing round, but his first 12 holes required resilience as he made 12 successive pars. Eugenio Chacarra, playing ahead of him, applied pressure with a fast start.
Chacarra made three birdies in his first four holes and added another at the sixth, cutting Fitzpatrick’s advantage. The Spaniard reached the turn one shot ahead of Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan and brought the gap to the leader down to two.
Fitzpatrick, however, repeatedly recovered from awkward positions to preserve par. The DP World Tour reported that he had described the opening 12 holes as a grind, with his ability to scramble allowing him to avoid the damaging mistakes that might have brought the chasing group level.
The tournament turned decisively at the 13th. Chacarra was forced to take a drop after finding deep rough, then sent his third shot into the water on his way to a double bogey. Fitzpatrick capitalised immediately, making his first birdie of the round at the same hole.
He then made another important birdie at the 15th, moving five clear at that stage. According to Sky Sports, Fitzpatrick’s approach at the 13th left him in tap-in range, while he holed from 20 feet at the 15th. Those shots gave him the margin to absorb a bogey at the last without jeopardising the result.
Chacarra’s progress was interrupted by a bogey at the eighth, before he birdied the ninth to remain within two. Reitan had moved into third with an eagle at the ninth and later birdied the 14th, but bogeys on two of his next three holes checked his challenge, Sky Sports reported. Pavon, meanwhile, set the clubhouse target at 15 under after a 64 containing five birdies and an eagle at the third, according to the DP World Tour. Vaillant’s birdie on the last left him alongside Pavon, Chacarra and Reitan on 15 under.
Fourth win of a productive 2026
Fitzpatrick’s French Open title follows victories at the Valspar Championship and RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour, plus the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which he won alongside his younger brother Alex. The latest success therefore adds a significant European result to a season that has already included individual and team victories.
His closing score of one under par was not the lowest round of the day, but it proved sufficient because of the platform built over the first three rounds. Matthieu Pavon carded a seven-under 64, the joint-best final round, to finish alongside home compatriot Tom Vaillant, Chacarra and Reitan on 15 under.
Hidalgo held second place alone at 17 under after a final-round 67. His runner-up finish also earned him the available qualifying place for The 155th Open at St Andrews, with Fitzpatrick already exempt, the DP World Tour said.
Fitzpatrick’s final-hole bogey was only his second of the week, according to the DP World Tour, highlighting how the pars and two back-nine birdies protected the scoring platform built before Sunday.
For Fitzpatrick, the central achievement was managing a final round in which his scoring did not flow early. His birdies on the back nine, combined with the pars that kept Chacarra from making further inroads, turned a shrinking overnight advantage into a comfortable winning margin at the DP World Tour event at Le Golf National.