Open de France: Alex Noren Looks To Retain Title This Week
By Matt Coles
The European Tour continues its countdown to the season finale in Dubai with the Open de France this week, held at the spectacular Le Golf National.
The Open de France will be played on the same course as the 2018 Ryder Cup was played on, which saw the European team take victory in the festival atmosphere in Paris.
The Open de France has been played every year since 1906, bar the periods of the two World Wars, and it has been a constant fixture on the European Tour since its inception in 1972.
It has also been held at Le Golf National since 1991, apart from in 1999 and 2001, with 27 of the last 29 events taking place at the venue.
More from Pro Golf Now
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament
The 7,300 yard Albatross course has seen some memorable victories here in the past, including Thomas Levet’s win in 2011. He remains the most recent Frenchman to win his home national title.
Only four past winners will take part at Le Golf National this week, with Sweden’s Alex Noren aiming to defend his title on the course he also helped Europe to victory with a monster putt on the last hole of his singles match.
Along with Noren, the German duo of Marcel Siem and Martin Kaymer and Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal are also looking to win this title for a second time, with the Spaniard having won at Lyon Golf Club in 2001.
Seve Ballesteros is the only man to have won this event four times in the European Tour era, with Sir Nick Faldo following close behind with three victories. Between them, the pair won the event seven times between 1977 and 1989, with both men also achieving back-to-back wins. Faldo did so in 1988 and 1989, while Ballesteros did so in 1985 and 1986.
This year’s field includes several winners on the Tour this season. Erik van Rooyen, Aaron Rai, Sebastian Soderberg, Victor Perez, and Thomas Pieters are all amongst the action come Thursday morning.
Play will start at 08:25 local time (GMT+2) on Thursday morning, with a two-tee set-up. Marc Warren, Kristoffer Reitan, and Joel Stalter will start from the 1st, while the 10th will see the French duo of Adrien Saddier and Charles Larcelet alongside Australia’s Deyen Lawson to kick things off.
dark. Next. Golf Tips: Getting up and down more often
Selected Tee Times (* = 10th tee start):
- 08:55* & 13:10: Erik van Rooyen (RSA), Romain Langasque (FRA), Sebastian Soderberg (SWE)
- 09:05* & 13:20: Martin Kaymer (GER), Alex Noren (SWE), Alexander Levy (FRA)
- 09:15* & 13:30: Thomas Bjorn (DEN), Stewart Cink (USA), Edoardo Molinari (ITA)
- 13:00 & 08:45*: Ross Fisher (ENG), Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP), Victor Dubuisson (FRA)
- 13:20 & 09:05*: Victor Perez (FRA), Thomas Pieters (BEL), Andy Sullivan (ENG)