Is a French golfing superstar next?

Had Jean Van de Velde missed the 18^th fairway at Carnoustie while playing his 72^nd hole in the 1999 Open Championship then we could already have a French Major winner, now though we seem to have a plethora of golfers from that part of continental Europe that could be the next big thing in European, if not World, Golf. They are Victor Dubuisson, Alexander Levy and Romain Wattel.

While France has had some superb players down the years – Van de Velde, Levet, Havret and more recently Rafael Jacquelin (who still performs very well on tour) – this current crop of French golfing youngsters could well surpass their older counterparts. With the Ryder Cup coming up at Le Golf Nationale in 2018 the timing is near ideal for these promising young golfers to make their mark on World Golf. Here we will take a closer look at what may well be the future of French golf.

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Victor Dubuisson

Feb 23, 2014; Marana, AZ, USA; Victor Dubuisson watches his shot on the 18th during the fifth round of the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Graeme McDowell has already heralded his Foursomes partner from Gleneagles as the next big thing in golf and his performances over the past year or so do lend you to believe that G Mac may well be correct! Victor is currently 8^th on the Race to Dubai standings following another stellar season, adding a consistent level of form but not quite adding another victory to his impressive performance which lead to victory in the Turkish Airlines Open. Dubuisson currently occupies 23^rd in the World Golf Ranking which points to him as already one of the best players in the world, whether he can improve on this is up for debate but he is well on track and seems to be improving all the time. He very well nearly added the WGC Matchplay title to his trophy haul but could not get past Jason Day in the Final in the Arizona desert. His stroke average has remained quite consistent at 70.98 and although it was gone up from 70.13 last year that is probably a result of playing more competitive rounds and making more cuts along the way. He driving accuracy is decent at 58.06% while he has increased his driving distance to 304.31 yards. His Average Putts per Round have gotten better each of the last 4 years, now at 29.47 per round, while his Sand Save percentage has also improved to 55.1%. His performances in the Ryder Cup point to a player that can excel under the greatest pressure.

Alexander Levy

This Frenchman is now a 2 time winner on the European Tour this season, having just won the Portugal Master albeit being a tournament cut to only 36 holes due to horrendous weather at Villamoura. He adds this victory to his triumph at the prestigious Volvo China Open and many fine performances over the course of the season. Levy sits currently at 19^th in the Race to Dubai standings and 110^th in the World Rankings although that should improve once the points are collated from his win this weekend in Portugal. Levy has only been on tour since last year and has improved steadily over the past season – Stroke Average from 71.48 to 70.63; Driving Accuracy and Distance has been similar; Greens in Regulation from 66.49% to 70.25%; Average Putts per Round and Putts per GIR have also improved slightly while his Sand Save percentage has gone from 49.49% to 59.26%. All these stats and of course his increased earnings this seasons, allied with 2 wins, point to a potential star in the making.

Romain Wattel

Wattel has been close to making a breakthrough over the past few seasons, his near miss in the KLM Dutch Open being another such chance for the Frenchman to flourish. With only 1 Challenge Tour win to his name so far it does point to potential but he needs to realise this sooner rather than later – he definitely has the game for it. Romain is currently 34^th on the Race to Dubai standings which points to a fairly consistent season while he is 114 on the World Golf Rankings. Although his stroke average has improved dramatically from 71.18 last year to 70.05 this year, his other stats has remained similar apart from a marked improvement in his Sand Saves from 44.44% to 52%. He is quite an accurate driver of the ball and hits 70% or more Greens in Regulation so expect Wattel to be more of a Mr Consistency rather than the next star of European Golf. Having said that, a win could do a lot to give him the confidence he needs to take his game to the next level.

France has brought us many things over the years, is a golfing superstar next? I think it could very well be!