Seve Ballesteros shrugged off the result as being of no consequence, but Europe's Ryder Cup team were given a reminder of the strength of this year's opposition when American Mark O'Meara won the Lancome Trophy in Paris yesterday. And it was not one of the Spaniard's six surviving team members who chased home the 40-year-old from Florida, but the unconsidered Swede Jarmo Sandelin who outpaced Australian's Greg Norman and Peter O'Malley to be runner-up.
O'Meara had a closing 69, his fourth successive sub-70 round for a 13 under par total of 271, edging past the Stockholm professional by sinking putts of 12 and 20 feet at the 16th and 17th, then getting up and down from beyond a bunker at the last to stay one ahead of Sandelin's 67 for 272.
Norman and O'Malley who both had 72, were joint third. Best of Ballesteros' Valderrama squad was Lee Westwood who was eighth, while Bernhard Langer was 13th. Per-Ulrik Johansson (18th), Colin Montgomerie (22nd), and Jesper Parnevik and Ian Woosnam (jt 36th) were also eclipsed by the short game wizardry of the vastly experienced O'Meara.
The leading Irishman was Ronan Rafferty who had 67 for 281 to finish alongside Montgomerie. It was O'Meara's 20th career victory, and his second European Tour win arrived exactly 10 years after his first, in the Lawrence Batley event at Royal Birkdale, a success notable for the two full seven-iron shots the American holed in the course of that week.
This time it was the excellence of his short game that will give fresh hope to his team mates and American captain Tom Kite, that they can regain the trophy in two weeks' time.
O'Meara had three birdies in the first four holes to sweep past overnight leaders Norman and O'Malley, but then fell back when he went into the water to take six at the fifth, and followed with another. But that was his last mistake, and when the two Australians could make nothing of the greens on the inward half, O'Meara took control until his composure was ruffled by Sandelin's surprise surge from the pack.
The Swede, who was Europe's rookie of the year in 1995, had taken two shots to get out of a bunker at the first and dropped two more shots in the next three holes. But four birdies in five holes to the turn, and further strikes at the 11th and 14th gave him a glimpse of a third European Tour victory.
Sandelin then holed from 10 feet to birdie the 17th, and got down from the same distance at the last to save par and set the clubhouse target of 12 under.
O'Meara proved equal to the challenge when he birdied the 16th, salvaged his par at the 17th after a poor drive into the woods, then nursed a greenside chip to within inches of the final flag. His reward was a first prize of £116,660 sterling which he regarded as a "little boost" for his team-mates back home, and captain Kite.
"It is certainly a confidence boost for me," he said, "and for the others, with the Ryder Cup just around the corner. But my game is not 100 per cent and it was my putting that made up for it. I felt really good on the greens this week. They are very like those at Pebble Beach."
Ballesteros disagreed saying: "This week does not matter, although Mark did very well. It will be a different story at the Ryder Cup."
Rafferty has now taken his prize money into six figures for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons, after collecting £7,560 for his three under par total. Since he began working with new coach Scott Cranfield, who also teaches Per-Ulrik Johansson, he has transformed his game.
He was 14th, 12th and sixth in his three previous outings, and says: "I have now re-discovered the ability to turn a round of 71 into a 68 instead of vice-versa."
Des Smyth's weekend slump to 78-76 after starting 69-67, leaves him still in danger of losing his Tour card and having to rely on all time money earnings to play next season. The Drogheda professional was joint 65th to win only £1,400, and with winnings of little more than £37,000 is in 132nd place in the Volvo Ranking.
Eamonn Darcy is better placed at 113th to keep inside the top 115 who retain their playing privileges, and says if he makes the halfway cut in this week's British Masters in Coventry, it will be his last event of the year. He had 75 for 287 to win £2,461 and take his season's total to £48,292. Philip Walton had 70 for 286 to be 47th, worth £3,360.
Darren Clarke, who missed the cut, dropped from second to fourth place in the Volvo ranking, but is less than £10,000 behind leader Montgomerie. The Ulsterman could add another feather to his cap this week, as he is likely to be included in the field for the Toyota World Matchplay championship at Wentworth on October 9th-12th.
