This year marks the 100th edition of the Open de France, which has been on the European Tour schedule since the tour’s inception in 1972. The Open de France is continental Europe’s oldest national open and this year a strong betting field is assembled.
Rory McIlroy +450 and Masters champion Danny Willett +1900 headline the list of world class players for this week’s Open de France. Willett has gone cold since his epic win at Augusta and is trying to find his game. McIlroy is always a force whenever he tees it up.
Other players to keep your eye on include Graeme McDowell +2400, Rafa Cabrera-Bello +2650, Jamie Donaldson +5050 and defending champion Bernd Wiesberger +2600.
Leading the home charge are Victor Dubuisson +6000, Gregory Bourdy +4500, Alexander Levy and Gary Stal, while former World Number Ones Luke Donald +5050 and Lee Westwood +2375 are also in the field.
The tournament has some special perks this year; the top four players not already exempt finishing inside the top 12 will earn qualification for this year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.
This year, the Open de France will count as two events played in the 2016 Race to Dubai, as well as offering enhanced points towards both the Ryder Cup World Points List and the European Points List. Basically you receive double points.
Le Golf National Albatros course will host the tournament for the 25th time. The layout has a new look having undergone extensive remodelling since last year’s event in preparation for hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup. The track measures 7,247 yards and plays to a par of 71. Rory McIlroy had this to say about the course, “Le Golf National might not be a pure links course, but it is traditionally firm and fast and can throw up some tricky conditions during the French Open. It’s a great test of golf.” The last four holes are where the tournament could be won or lost as water comes into play on all four holes. Players will have their hands full and must keep their ball dry to be a factor this week in Paris.
Last year Austrian Bernd Wiesberger fired a closing round 65 to secure his third European Tour win. Wiesberger trailed overnight leader Jaco Van Zyl by three shots, but rattled off four birdies in a row early and round four and never looked back. Wiesberger ended up winning by four strokes over James Morrison.
Current Open de France Golf Odds at BookMaker Sportsbook:
Rory Mcilroy +450
Martin Kaymer +1650
Danny Willett +1900
Francesco Molinari +2050
Lee Westwood +2375
Graeme McDowell +2400
Andy Sullivan +3050
Bernd Wiesberger +2600
Matthew Fitzpatrick +2550
Rafa Cabrera-Bello +2650
Chris Wood +4000
Joost Luiten +4000
Gregory Bourdy +4500
Jamie Donaldson +5050
Jaco Van Zyl +6000
Luke Donald +5050
Ross Fisher +6000
Thorbjorn Olesen +4500
Tyrrell Hatton +5050
James Morrison +6000
Nicolas Colsaerts +10050
Pablo Larrazabal +6050
Rikard Karlberg +6100
Thomas Pieters +8050
Thongchai Jaidee +5050
Victor Dubuisson +6000
Alex Noren +8100
Bradley Dredge +9050
Fabrizio Zanotti +6050
FIELD - Any other player +255
ODDS ANALYSIS
PLAYERS to RIDE
Graeme McDowell +2400 won this tournament in back-to-back years in 2013-14 and is in good form heading into this week. He thrives on tough tracks and his patience and attitude make him a play in all formats this week.
Matthew Fitzpatrick +2550 has the perfect game for this week’s course. Fairways and greens is a good start this week and the young Englishman hits it straight and hits a lot of greens. If Fitzpatrick intends to make the upcoming Ryder Cup team, a good finish here will go a long ways.
PLAYERS to HIDE
Chris Wood’s +4000 history at Le Golf National is not good. He has missed his last three cuts at the Open de France and never finished higher than T37 in five career starts. Let’s face it, Wood either doesn’t like the look of the course or is in bad form this time of year, either one has me staying away from the lanky Englishmen.
Danny Willett +1900 has been a non-factor since his epic win at The Masters in April. His game is not sharp, his putting stroke has abandoned him and his focus is not where it should be. All these factors have me waiting on Willett to find his game. Stay Away!
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The Open de France is scheduled for June 30 - July 3, 2016. Le Golf National will host the event and the Golf Channel will televise the event live.
