A SENSATIONAL final round with a spectacular climax saw Frenchman Grégory Bourdy crowned the 2013 ISPS Handa Wales Open champion.

Bourdy, a previous three time winner on the European Tour has tremendous pedigree at the Celtic Manor, having previously finished in the top ten here in half of his six appearances.

He held off a fierce challenge from American Peter Uihlein who did all he could to protect his overnight advantage, finishing an up and down day with a round of one over par to finish six under.

However, that wasn’t enough to deny brilliant Bourdy. His charge got off to a fine start with an eagle at the second via a sublime bunker shot but his chances diminished greatly when he found water and lost his composure, bogeying 13 and 14.

A tremendous 45-foot swinging putt on 16 for birdie got Bourdy back to six under and he motored home by making it three successive birdies, Uihlein himself matching that effort on 16 and 17 but only able to bogey the last as Bourdy’s 67 took him to minus eight.

A delighted Bourdy admitted that winning on a Ryder Cup course makes the triumph all the more special.

“I was delighted to get that eagle at the second and it gave me a lot of confidence for the course, but unfortunately I made two bogeys on 13 and 14 and then it was very hard,” he explained.

“But I made an amazing finish with three birdies in a row and I am so happy with this, I will remember for a long time this great finish on this great golf course.

“The great moments here, with the Ryder Cup, I was thinking of it walking up the 18th.

“The putt on 16 was the key to my great finish, it was my hardest putt of the day and it set me up to finish great.”

Ryder Cup qualification began on Thursday morning in Newport and Bourdy wants to stay in the reckoning for an appearance, having gone to top of the points list.

“One of my main ambitions is to play in the Ryder Cup, it would be very special,” he admitted.

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen, bidding to become the third Dane to conquer the Wales Open, suffered a disaster with bogey on 18 for a 66, leaving him stranded on five under par and just out of the reckoning as he set the clubhouse lead. France's popular Ryder Cup man Thomas Levet, one of the favourites yesterday morning at four under, fell away horribly after a sequence of double bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey between holes three and six.

Chepstow’s Liam Bond did end up as the top Welshman in the field, but it’s hard to believe he wasn’t disappointed to see his tournament fade away so dramatically.

Bond went from overnight leader on five under par after 36 holes to finishing five over. However, consolation for the St Pierre pro at least that his closing 74 was an improvement on his disappointing 78 on Saturday.

It was a frustrating tournament for Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, who but for a rotten third round of 77 would’ve been in contention to win.

However, he bogeyed the par five 18th yesterday to shoot a superb 67 and finish at one under par. Frustrating, because birdie and a 65 would’ve put him in the top five.

Presiding champion Thongchai Jaidee ended nicely with a round of 69, two under par, to finish the tournament in the 30s on plus two.

Rhys Enoch’s successful first foray around the Celtic Manor as a professional saw him finish at seven over with a final round 74.