Open de France: Uihlein, Otaegui lead going into weekend

Will Peter Uihlein or Adrian Otaegui hold off a strong pack of contenders headed to the weekend at the HNA Open de France?

The HNA Open de France field thinned out Friday. At the 36-hole mark co-leaders American Peter Uihlein and Spaniard Adrian Otaegui head the field, but a strong contingent of European Tour players are sure to threaten as the weekend unfolds.

Uihlein sunk a lengthy putt at just past 9 p.m. local time to get in the house at eight-under-par total. He was one of the final groups to squeeze in their rounds after a late-afternoon lightning delay. Uihlein’s first bogey of the tournament on No. 17 cost him the solo lead.

Uihlein saves par on the last.

Books himself a place in the final group tomorrow. #HNAOpenDeFrance pic.twitter.com/N8Aa0S5s9z
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 30, 2017

Uihlein is in the top 15 in driving accuracy and distance thus far. That precision has been useful as this week’s venue lacks much of a tree line but has nasty rough in spots. He’s near the bottom in putting among those who made the cut, but his last roll could give him momentum going to Saturday.

Otaegui tied for the second-lowest round on Friday, posting a five-under-par 66. His flat stick has been the best club in the bag as he’s needed just 48 putts through 36 holes.

Both are seeking their first career full-field European Tour win. Uihlein won the Challenge Tour co-sanctioned 2013 Madeira Islands Open. Otaegui’s closest call was a shared runner-up finish at the 2016 Lyoness Open.

PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 30: Adrian Otaegui of Spain looks on during the second round of the HNA Open de France at Le Golf National on June 30, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /

Otaegui is ranked No. 422 in the world and No. 182 in the Race to Dubai. The 24-year-old protégée of José María Olazábal, according to his European Tour profile, has yet to record a top-50 this year.

If Uihlein, ranked No. 162 in the world and 42nd in the Race to Dubai, or Otaegui are to pull off the upset, they’ll have to fend off a strong pack of chasers.

In Contention

PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 30: Tommy Fleetwood of England plays an approach shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the HNA Open de France at Le Golf National on June 30, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /

Sweden’s Alexander Björk and England’s Tommy Fleetwood are tied in third place at seven-under, followed by England’s Paul Waring and Nathan Kimsey at six-under.

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Fleetwood has been hitting the ball as well as any this week, leading the field with 34 of 36 greens hit in regulation aided by a top-five mark in driving accuracy (78.6%). Fleetwood can surge past Sergio García to No. 1 in the Race to Dubai with a win and will be the odds-on favorite to pull through on the weekend.

There’s a lot of firepower further down the leaderboard, though.

Thomas Pieters lurks three shots back in a tie for seventh at five-under. Low Frenchman so far is shared by Grégory Bourdy and Romain Langesque tied with six others for 10th at four-under. Also in that pack are 2016 European Ryder Cup members Andy Sullivan and Lee Westwood.

This week’s venue, Le Golf National, will host the 2018 Ryder Cup.

A guy who looks on his way to making next year’s team is Spain’s Jon Rahm. The world No. 11 is the second-highest ranked player in the field and is very much still in the thick of things at three-under.

"“This is a course I feel I can be aggressive on,” Rahm told the media after a round two 69. “My short game feels great so I’m looking forward to the weekend.”"

Some wonder if two missed cuts in a row at the Memorial and U.S. Open were a product of fatigue due to a busy schedule. Rahm was off last week, so we’ll see if he’s recharged enough to make a run.

The highest-ranked player in the field is No. 8 Alex Noren. He has an outside shot at picking up his second Rolex Series win of the season following his triumph at the BMW PGA Championship in May.

Notables

PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 29: Bernd Wiesberger of Austria plays his second shot on the 10th hole during day one of the HNA Open de France at Le Golf National on June 29, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /

Other notable names making the cut at one-over-par include my pre-tournament pick, 2015 winner Bernd Wiesberger (-3), Andrew “Beef” Johnston (-2), Frenchman Alexander Lévy (-2), Ian Poulter (-1), Francesco Molinari (-1), Martin Kaymer (E) and defending champ, Thongchai Jaidee (+1).

Notables to miss the cut include Tyrrell Hatton (+2), two-time tournament champ, Graeme McDowell (+3), Danny Willett (+3), Russell Knox (+4) and last week’s winner at the BMW International Open, Andres Romero (+17). After earning his first win in over a decade, I think it’s acceptable to give Romero a bit of a grace period. Keep the champagne flowing, Andres!

Next: How to maximize your time on the driving range

How to Watch

Stateside, weekend coverage of the HNA Open de France will be aired live on the Golf Channel from 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET both days. Live scoring is available at europeantour.com

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