François Calmels
# François Calmels

François Calmels (born 11 December 1981) is a French professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour.

## Career

Calmels was born in Paris. He was a distinguished amateur, winning the 2004 Coupe Mouchy (highest amateur competition in France), and the 2006 Portuguese Amateur Open Championship. He turned professional in 2006 and won twice during his first season on the Alps Tour, one of Europe's third tier developmental professional golf tours. He won for the first time on the second-tier European Challenge Tour in May 2009, when he claimed the Telenet Trophy by one stroke over Spaniard Carlos Rodiles - one week after watching his girlfriend, Jade Schaeffer make her Ladies European Tour breakthrough at the Hypo Vereinsbank Ladies German Open, he followed her into the winner's enclosure by birdieing the last two holes at Royal Waterloo Golf Club to win by one stroke.

In 2007 and 2010, Calmels played on both the European Tour and the Challenge Tour. His best finish on the European Tour was a tie for second at the 2007 Open de Saint-Omer, a tournament co-sanctioned by both tours. In November 2011 he was hurted in a lift accident and spent months recovering. He came back on Challenge Tour after Q school. In 2013 he was on Challenge Tour and finished the season 11th in ranking. He is back on European Tour for the 2014 season

## Personal life

Calmels has long been a friend of European Tour champion golfer and fellow Frenchman Grégory Havret.

Calmels turned seriously to golf at the age of eleven, he underwent several operations on his mouth after birth double cleft and was advised by doctors to take up a non-contact sport after being struck in the face playing handball – the game his father played in the French First Division – so he decided to concentrate on golf.

## Amateur wins

* 2004 Coupe Mouchy
* 2006 Portuguese Amateur Open Championship

## Professional wins (7)

### Challenge Tour wins (3)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 31 May 2009 | Telenet Trophy | −12 (67-69-70-70=276) | 2 strokes | Carlos Rodiles, Sam Walker |
| 2 | 27 Apr 2013 | Challenge de Madrid | −17 (63-69-72-67=271) | 7 strokes | Tapio Pulkkanen |
| 3 | 9 Jun 2013 | D+D Real Czech Challenge Open | −22 (67-69-65-65=266) | 3 strokes | Robert Dinwiddie, Adam Gee, Sam Walker |

### Alps Tour wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 24 Mar 2006 | Open de Mohammedia | −14 (67-69-66=202) | 2 strokes | Jacques Thalamy |
| 2 | 1 Apr 2006 | Trophée Maroc Telecom | −10 (69-67-73=209) | 2 strokes | Alessio Bruschi, Laurent Richard |

### French Tour wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 7 Dec 2013 | AfrAsia Golf Masters | −15 (67-69-65=201) | 1 stroke | Hennie Otto |
| 2 | 12 Apr 2014 | Grand Prix Schweppes | −17 (68-67-66-66=267) | 1 stroke | Gary Stal |

## Team appearances

Amateur

* European Amateur Team Championship (representing France): 2005
