Fitzpatrick began Sunday with a five-shot lead but was forced to grind his way around the Paris layout, making 12 consecutive pars before finally finding his first birdie at the 13th.

By then, Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra had reduced the overnight advantage to two shots, but Fitzpatrick responded when the contest was at its most tense, producing some of his best golf of the week over the closing stretch to finish with a one-under 70 and a three-shot victory over Ángel Hidalgo.

The Englishman finished at 20-under par, with his scrambling proving particularly important as he protected his lead despite not having his best stuff early in the round.

“Obviously delighted to get over the line. It was definitely a battle today. Didn't have my best stuff for the first 12 holes, and then managed to find some of my best stuff,” Fitzpatrick said after his round.

Fitzpatrick had made light work of the layout across the opening three rounds, but was forced to rely on a different part of his game on Sunday.

“Yeah, obviously a lot of patience. Golf is a game of multiple skills, and I used them all in the end this week,” he said.

“I felt like that the first 12 was a battle. I didn't have my best stuff. Different wind direction kind of threw me off a little bit today. And, yeah, just coming down the stretch there, to get the shots I did and make the putts I did was special.”

The victory is Fitzpatrick’s 15th professional win worldwide and his third national open title on European soil, having also won the Omega European Masters twice.

His short game was a major factor in getting him over the line.

“Just felt fantastic with the short stuff today in particular. And I felt in a way I was a little bit lucky. I left myself in some nice spots that you can still get up-and-down from, but fully took advantage of that and did really well,” he said.

Fitzpatrick arrived in France after finishing sixth at last week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, with the Open de France a late addition to his schedule.

“I think I definitely took a more relaxed attitude to this week. So, coming towards the end of the season, and obviously it was a little bit last-minute addition in my schedule,” he said.

“But, you know, to obviously get this over the line and a good finish last week is obviously a great start on the Ryder Cup points as well, so there's a lot of bonuses to doing that.”

The victory was also Fitzpatrick’s first since becoming a father, with son Jack born recently.

“Yeah, absolutely. I was just speaking to my wife, just, you know, first win as a dad is always really cool. And, you know, hopefully I can sort of continue that trend.”

Fitzpatrick was also making his first appearance at Le Golf National since 2018 and praised the support he received from the French fans.

Jason Scrivener was the pick of the Aussies in Paris. PHOTO: Getty Images.

“The support was great this week. I really felt it. And I think when you go into a different country, sometimes you might not necessarily get that.

“Even today, playing with Tom, he had a lot of French support, which was amazing to see. I also felt like I had a lot of support, which was nice.”

For Fitzpatrick, adding his name to the Open de France trophy carried plenty of weight given the tournament’s history.

“It's amazing, just I think the biggest thing for me is the history.

“You look at some of the names of the winners on the French Open trophy, and even as well as any tournament I feel I've been lucky enough to win that's had some fantastic winners in the past, and it's always nice to kind of add your name to that group.”

Jason Scrivener was the leading Australian, finishing in a tie for 20th, while Anthony Quayle finished 50th.

Jack Buchanan, Cameron Smith, Ryan Peake, Connor McKinney, Elvis Smylie and David Micheluzzi all missed the halfway cut.