DP World Tour : French Open Tee Times Leaderboard
This is a pretty big late season event on this DP World Tour on a fabled French course that has a long regular season venue, but up a notch and we have the delirious 2018 Ryder Cup win with Frankie Molinari winning 5 points, alongside his partner Tommy Fleetwood , Moliwood in their 17.5 -10.5 trouncing of the Yanks, then as host to this years Olympic Games Golf venue...
Matthieu Pavon leads a strong French contingent, two months on from hosting the Olympic Games, France is back in the golfing spotlight this week as it plays host to the oldest national open in Continental Europe at Le Golf National.
First held in 1906, the Open de France – which this year has FedEx as its new title partner – has been part of the DP World Tour’s schedule since its inception in 1972.
In the more than 50 years that have since passed, just two French players have won the title - Jean-François Remésy (2004, 2005) and most recently Thomas Levet (2011)
But, ahead of this year’s edition and after a resurgence in French golf over the last 12 months, it would be fair to say there has not been as much cause for belief in the last decade or so that a new homegrown champion will emerge.
The spark for the ongoing period of success started with Matthieu Pavon’s maiden DP World Tour title at last year’s acciona Open de España presented by Madrid.
His win in the city of his late grandfather’s birth prompted three top-15 finishes in his subsequent four starts, with a run of four consecutive birdies in the final round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship culminating in him earning dual membership status as one of ten players on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex to earn a PGA TOUR card.
What followed was an exceptional entrance to life on the PGA TOUR.
After finishing tied seventh at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the 31-year-old won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines with a birdie on the 72nd hole in late January.
In doing so, he became the first French-born player to win on the PGA TOUR since Arnaud Massy – a record four-time winner of the Open de France – in 1907.
Confidence was clear to see in Pavon as he came close to backing up his historic triumph with another, finishing third at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a signature event on the PGA TOUR.
From starting the Open de España just inside the top 200 on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), he had climbed to 26th. Now at a career-high 20th, Pavon is closing in on overtaking Dubuisson - who peaked at number 15 in 2015 - as the highest-ranked French golfer since the OWGR's inception in 1986.
On his return to the DP World Tour at the Porsche Singapore Classic in March, he finished solo fifth before placing tied 12th on his debut at the Masters Tournament.
Further highlights would come in the form of a top five at the U.S. Open and the honour of representing his country on home soil at the Olympics.
So, after a year in which French golfers have already made a host of memories, the opportunity of vying for victory at a national open is only likely to energize the crop of home hopes further.
edit *** Canadian Aaron Cockerill will hit the first ball off the 1Oth tee..
Follow his progress here at Leaderboard
Bryan Angus
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