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European Tour 2015: Three Players Lead French Invasion

By Les Bailey

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Jun 13, 2014; Pinehurst, NC, USA; Victor Dubuisson tees off on the 14th hole during the second round of the 2014 U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst Resort Country Club – #2 Course. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The significance of French professional golf on the European Tour ended in the Barry Burn at the 1999 Open Championship where we saw Jean van de Velde with his britches rolled up, looking for his golf ball. The Frenchman had a seven-shot lead going into the 72nd hole at Carnoustie, and with the hopes of France draped over his thin shoulders, it all disappeared in a heartbeat.

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It’s been a decade and a half, but not to worry. France is once again filled with golfing talent, and two youngsters and an aging veteran are ready to conquer the demons in Barry Burn, and return greatness to French golf.

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The Most Popular  Victor Dubuisson

It wasn’t Victor Dubuisson’s only European Tour win at the 2013 Turkish Airlines Open that elevated the 24 year-old Frenchman into the limelight, it was his second place finish at the 2014 Accenture Match Play Championship.

The epic playoff battle with Jason Day, where he looked more like Harry Houdini than a French golfer, is what legends are made of. They still show the clip of Jason shaking his head after Dubuisson’s last escape from the cacti at Dove Mountain Resort.

Dubuisson is ranked fifth in Official World Golf Rankings largely based on his finishes in WGC events in 2014, even though he didn’t log a win. He had a season that mirrored that of Rickie Fowler. He finished well in big events, but was unable to log a win.

The young Frenchman had runner-up itis in 2014, finishing second at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai last month behind Henrik Stenson, ISPS Handa, Nordea Masters, and the Accenture. He finished in the top ten at Open Championship, and the PGA, as well as T28 at the US Open.

I think we will see more of Victor Dubuisson on the PGA Tour this year, but the guy loves playing in Europe in front of his fans. And of course, he played for the victorious 2014 Ryder Cup team.

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On The Move  Alexander Levy

Alexander Levy is only 24 years-old as well, and in my opinion, the best France has to offer. Keep an eye on this youngster. He has more wins than Dubuisson, and in my opinion, a better all-around golf game.

Levy beat Tommy Fleetwood by four strokes at the Volvo China Open last April, and dismissed the “Mussles from Brussels” by three strokes at the Portugal Masters in October.

With a T 21 finish at the NedBank Challenge last month, the American-born Frenchman stands at 23rd in Race To Dubai points. Ranked 51st in the OWGR, he will need to get off to a hot start in 2015 if he wants to make it to Augusta in April.

What Alexander Levy needs now that he is among the top 60, is some experience in the WGC events, where he can compete in the élite, world-class fields. These events, along with the majors are where one can make, or break a career.

Viva La France

The forgotten elder from France is 40 year-old Raphael Jacquelin. He has four victories on the European Tour, with the last coming at the 2013 Open de Espana where he beat Felipe Aguilar, and Maximillion Kieffer in a nine-hole marathon playoff that lasted nine holes, and is a tour record for endurance.

Jacquelin showed some old spark later in the 2014 season, when he gutted out a top ten finish at the Hong Kong Open. He has been the top ambassador of French golf for the past decade, and will mentor these youngsters to success.

I expect to see good things from Dubuisson, and Levy in 2015, and at 24 years-old, are the future of French golf for the next decade. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them on some big leaderboards this year, and maybe even a major leaderboard.

And by the way, we’ve already seen Victor Dubuisson in the Ryder Cup, and I don’t think Alexander Levy is far behind.

I wanted to thank Elizabeth Bethel for the inspiration to do this article.

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