Lee Westwood is still searching for his first victory since September 2007 - and for the second time it was rising German star Martin Kaymer who denied him.
Kaymer won the French Open Alstom at Le Golf National near Paris with an 18-foot par putt on the first hole of a sudden death play-off after they had tied on 13 under par.
They were three clear of Ian Poulter, who departed absolutely livid and saying he would not be back next year after blaming a press photographer for his shot into water on the 15th.
Westwood, who was runner-up to Kaymer in Abu Dhabi at the start of last year, has also now lost three play-offs since his last win.
The former European number one had fired a joint best-of-the-day 65 from four behind at the start of the day, but after both found the right-hand rough after returning to the 18th tee his nine-iron just failed to carry the lake.
Kaymer had only just made it over but with Westwood then playing a poor pitch as well from the drop zone and doing no better than a double-bogey six the 24-year-old, with two putts for it, sank an 18-footer.
His third European Tour title takes him back into the world's top 20 and earned him just over Ј565,000.
Westwood, who took home Ј376,701, was still pleased with his week's work.
"A 65 was the score I had in mind," he said.
"I've played well this year without finishing anything off and the first three rounds here I struggled.
"Then Billy (caddie Billy Foster) gave me a putting tip and I showed quite a lot of bottle down the stretch."
He packed seven birdies into his first 13 holes, but a bogey six down the long next was to cost him dear ultimately.
Kaymer said: "This is obviously very special for me. I had some good chances, but finally I won it, so it's good."
Colin Montgomerie, second on the course last year, is still searching for his first top 10 finish since then.
That dire run looked set to end when he came back from an opening double bogey with seven birdies and stood nine under - good enough for fourth if he parred in - but he took six on the 399-yard 15th and bogeyed the last two to drop to 13th.
One place in the Open Championship was up for grabs in the event, but only for somebody non-exempt finishing in the top five - and nobody did.
English pair Kenneth Ferrie and Paul Waring came agonisingly close, though, missing out by just one shot.
Ferrie, who made his first halfway cut of the season last week, parred the last nine holes for his 67, but now has to play the Open final qualifying at Kilmarnock Barassie tomorrow and Tuesday.
Waring was in third spot overnight, but managed only a 72.
That was not as bad, though, as Argentina's Rafa Echenique, who held a one-stroke lead over Kaymer when they resumed.
Echenique was still in the hunt until he collapsed to triple-bogey sevens on both the 15th and 18th. That meant a 77 and joint 13th -
and also lifted England's Danny Willett and Northern Irishman Gareth Maybin into the 10th place they needed to play this coming week's Scottish Open.
Westwood knew how different it might have been in the play-off.
"Martin's ball has carried the water by a foot and mine must have went in by a foot. That's the chance you take in play-offs.
"You can't judge the week by that and I certainly can't be disappointed by anything after the way I played today.
"I was delighted with my putting today. I had 31 putts for the first three rounds and that's just not good enough, but I putted a lot better today and that's just what I need to do.
"If I can carry that on then I will be winning events by a couple of shots and not going to play-offs. It is a good time to start playing well."
Collated final round scores & totals in the European Tour Open de France ALSTOM, Le Golf National, Paris, France
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 71):
271 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 62 72 69 68 (Kaymer won at the first play-off hole), Lee Westwood 68 68 70 65
274 Ian Poulter 72 69 66 67
275 Peter Hanson (Swe) 65 70 70 70, Anders Hansen (Den) 69 72 68 66
276 Paul Waring 66 70 68 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 68 71 72 65, Richard Green (Aus) 68 67 70 71, Kenneth Ferrie 70 68 71 67
278 Gareth Maybin 69 71 71 67, Scott Strange (Aus) 65 72 71 70, Danny Willett 68 71 70 69
279 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 70 71 69 69, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 67 74 69 69, Damien McGrane 70 72 69 68, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 68 66 72 73, Colin Montgomerie 69 74 65 71, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 67 72 71 69, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 65 67 70 77, Graeme Storm 69 72 67 71
280 Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 69 71 71 69, Nick Dougherty 66 76 69 69, Peter Lawrie 71 71 71 67, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 73 70 71 66
281 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 67 70 71 73, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 75 68 70 68, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 67 73 73 68, Phillip Archer 69 73 67 72, Seve Benson 70 67 68 76, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 70 72 71 68
282 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 72 67 72 71, David Horsey 72 71 68 71, Darren Clarke 73 69 68 72, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 70 72 69 71, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 65 75 68 74, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 67 73 74 68
283 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 67 71 68 77, Gary Lockerbie 68 75 70 70, Steve Webster 69 65 74 75, Gary Orr 73 70 67 73, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 70 70 69 74
284 David Lynn 69 74 69 72, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 72 71 65 76, Paul Broadhurst 73 69 71 71, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 72 71 70, Paul Lawrie 67 74 71 72, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 70 72 71 71, Mark Foster 69 74 70 71, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 68 74 72 70
285 David Drysdale 67 76 71 71, Shane Lowry 69 72 71 73, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 74 66 73 72, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 70 70 73
286 Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 69 72 71, Miguel Angel Martin (Spa) 72 71 73 70, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 70 72 69 75, Ross McGowan 69 72 74 71
287 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 70 70 77 70, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 67 75 71 74
288 Marc Warren 68 72 71 77, James Kingston (Rsa) 71 70 72 75, Benn Barham 68 74 73 73, Jamie Donaldson 69 71 68 80, Alastair Forsyth 72 69 76 71, John Bickerton 65 77 75 71, Barry Lane 70 71 74 73
289 Steven O'Hara 71 72 70 76, Philip Golding 71 72 73 73
290 Thomas Levet (Fra) 67 73 75 75
291 Robert Rock 70 70 76 75, Oliver Wilson 72 69 71 79, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 69 71 71 80
292 Pablo Martin (Spa) 71 72 72 77
293 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 74 67 73 79, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 68 75 75 75
295 Sam Little 67 75 75 78, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 69 73 77 76
296 Paul Nilbrink (Swe) 73 69 79 75
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