Important To Keep The Ball In Play
When it comes to this year’s Open de France, I’m going to be looking at players who have proved themselves at this course. Though there are a lot of scoring opportunities, the fairways are tight, and there is plenty of water around the greens. It’s a course that can be just as easily punishing as rewarding.
Olesen’s Week
The first player that is on my shortlist for this event is Thorbjorn Olesen. The Dane has shown on several occasions during his career that he has the ability to play around Le Golf National. In 2011 he finished runner-up, and in 2017 a tie for 3rd place. Last year he also finished inside the top 10, so it’s a course that plays to his strengths.
In his career, it’s fair to say that the 34-year-old should have probably won more than he has, but there have been signs this year that he is coming back to his best. At the start of the year, he won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in the UAE, and last week he recorded a top-10 finish in the Alfred Dunhill Championship. At 20/1 to win this week, I think he is worth keeping on side.
Smith The Green Finder
Moving on to my next selection, I quite like the chances of Jordan Smith having a good week. The Englishman had been consistently performing well on the DP World Tour towards the top end of the leaderboard. Furthermore, in recent weeks he recorded a top-10 finish at the Irish Open, as well as three top-20 finishes since the end of July. Back in 2022, he finished runner up at this event, so he shouldn’t be underestimated.
The key to his success has been his Green In Regulation stats. He’s currently second on the DP World Tour rankings this season. If he can keep finding the green this week, he’ll be a danger to the field.
Southgate Can Give England Glory
My last pick this week is going to be my outsider, and that is Matthew Southgate. He’s currently a big price at 175/1, but I don’t think he’s without a chance. The 36-year-old has had a fairly quiet year, but he did record a fourth-place finish at the BMW International Championship in July. At one stage last week, he looked like he was going to play a hand for the lead at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, where he was in sixth place after the first round, but he fell away and tied in a finish for 45th place.
However, that event produced a lot of low scores, and you can still play well but not finish high on the leaderboard. The reason I want to side with him this week is that he has previously shown he can play well at Le Golf National. His best finish at the event saw him finish 5th in 2017, and last year he didn’t play too badly, finishing in a tie for 20th. I just think he is due a big performance, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened this week.
Open de France Selections
Thorbjorn Olesen EW (20/1)
Jordan Smith EW (20/1)
Matthew Southgate EW (175/1)
