Ugo Coussaud claimed his first win on the European Challenge Tour at The Challenge presented by KGA after he posted a five under par final round of 67 at Karnataka Golf Association.

The Frenchman birdied two of the last three holes to get to 18 under for the week and secure his maiden triumph, edging out Spaniard Manuel Elvira and Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach who finished in second place on 17 under par.

Top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings

Coussaud climbs to the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings following an emphatic start to the year which has seen him register a win and two other top ten finishes.

The 30-year-old started the day four shots off the lead, but birdies on eight and nine helped close the gap before three birdies on the back nine made sure of his first Challenge Tour victory.

“I’m feeling amazing,” he said. “I didn’t know when it was coming, but I knew it was coming. After five years on the Challenge Tour, it’s not that quick but I’m very happy indeed. It means a lot. I’ve put a lot of effort in, I’ve put a lot of work in with my team and it feels good to be on top.”

“I love India, I love the food. I’ll celebrate when I’m back in France for sure.”

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