Levet learns lesson from Woods

It was not only a bad back that Thomas Levet returned from The Masters with last month – it was also an important lesson in how to win.

Levet had been at Augusta not to play, but to commentate for French television and in his first tournament since then the 40-year-old former Ryder Cup golfer captured the Spanish Open in Girona yesterday.

After dedicating the victory to Seve Ballesteros, whose battle with brain cancer goes on, Levet said that watching Tiger Woods try for a 15th major had struck a chord with him.

Although the world number one finished “only” sixth, Levet – who blamed his back injury on sitting down all day commentating – said: “Tiger showed that you don’t need to play extra well to win or be in contention.

“Even the guy who wins makes mistakes and for me the lesson is it makes me less nervous when I am playing badly. It opens your eyes on the game and makes you more conscious of what you need to do to win.”