IRISH SENIOR OPEN:MARC FARRY became the fifth first-time winner on the European Senior Tour in 2010 when he held off a spirited challenge from Ross Drummond to win the Handa Irish Senior Open presented by Fáilte Ireland.

The Frenchman fired a 69 to finish on 10 under par at Carton House Golf Club in Co Kildare, two strokes clear of Drummond, who had to settle for finishing runner-up for the fourth time in four seasons on the Senior Tour.

Farry, who held a one-shot overnight lead from Scottish pair Drummond and Sandy Lyle, settled any nerves immediately when he drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole after Drummond and Major champion Lyle began with poor tee-shots.

Drummond hit back with birdies on the second and third holes for a brief share of the lead, but Farry picked up shots on the fourth and eighth holes to move to 10 under par, one stroke clear heading into the back nine after Drummond birdied the ninth hole.

Both then bogeyed the 10th before play was suspended for an hour due to the threat of thunder and lightning. Drummond dropped another shot on the 12th immediately after the re-start.

The Scot applied some pressure by reclaiming that on the 15th and shaved the cup with another birdie putt on the 16th, but Farry, who had posted a steady run of six consecutive pars after his bogey, produced a vital birdie on the Montgomerie Course’s 17th hole to seal the victory.

“It means a lot to me to win,” said the 50-year-old. “It takes a while to come back when you’ve played the main Tour and you lose your card and then you are too young to play on the Senior Tour. There’s a gap of a couple of years and last year I played four or five tournaments and wasn’t really on the mark.

“Now I’m really into the Senior Tour and two top-10 finishes in the last two tournaments before this beautiful win in Ireland shows that I’m ready.

“I actually led the Irish Open on the European Tour going into the final round at Portmarnock but it was a brutal last day and I shot 79 in the final round which left a bad taste in my mouth, so I’m very pleased to win in Ireland.”

Farry follows Kevin Spurgeon, Boonchu Ruangkit, Tom Lehman and Gordon Brand Jnr as the other maiden Senior Tour winners this season and he becomes the first French player to win on the Senior Tour since Gery Watine in 2005.

In succeeding Ian Woosnam as winner of the Irish Senior Open, Farry adds a Senior Tour title to the BMW International Open he won on the European Tour in 1996.

“It was a tough day with the lightning delay and Ross Drummond was playing and putting so well so it was such a relief to win,” he said.

“I made a great shot on the 17th and the gap was made then so I was very pleased.

“I said yesterday that I needed to make a few putts so to start with that putt on the first was great. Then I was three under after nine and playing well, but we stopped and it’s never easy to restart.

“Ross seemed to be making every putt so it was a relief that I won. My tee-shot on 17 was probably the shot of the week. I hit the perfect shot.”

Drummond signed for a round of 70, while Paraguay’s Angel Franco fired a joint-lowest round of the day 67 to share third place with Englishman Glenn Ralph.

Former Masters and British Open champion Lyle carded a 73 to finish in a share of ninth place.

Ryder Cup-winning captain Sam Torrance posted a final round 69 to finish 17th.

Eamonn Darcy was the leading Irishman in a share of 20th place after closing with a round of 73.