Poulter likely favourite at French Open
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2009 Open de France | Preview | 30 Jun 2009
The European Tour is in France this week for the lucrative Open de France at Le Golf National in Paris. With only two weeks to the Open Championship and just this and next week’s Scottish Open in order for many in this week’s field to be primed for the test at Turnberry, this is an important week.
Ian Poulter has risen to another level in the game in 2009 and with the prospect of a big week at the Open he will be keen to build momentum this week. Poulter’s decision to have Lasik eye surgery earlier this year appears to have worked wonders for the Englishman and he is on the verge of his first win anywhere since November of 2007 in Japan. It might well be this week but either way it should be soon. Poulter has played this layout well in recent years.
Graeme McDowell has performed well against some very strong company of late more especially when he finished 18th at the US Open and 7th at the St Jude event in Memphis after what was a brilliant final round of 63 there. McDowell finished 13th last year in this event.
Lee Westwood has played well in patches of late and did finish 5th in this event in 2008. If he can put it all together this week then he stands a very good chance of winning one of the few big money European Tour titles he has yet to have to his name.
Soren Hansen has a fine record here having been runner up and third in his last two attempts. Hansen finished 6th at the US Open two weeks ago and is sure to give a good account of himself this week.
Padraig Harrington is sadly out of sorts and in his last European Tour event before the Open he will be keen to have things at least heading in the right direction after what he has been a disastrous run of late. Swing changes have not kicked in as yet and he is left looking at a potential three peat at Turnberry with little form to recommend his chances.
Richard Green is finding form at the right time with his 9th place finish last week in Germany following a 6th placing in Wales. A runner up here several years ago and as one who has often played well in Paris, Green is on the verge of another European Tour win to go with the two he has to date.
Marcus Fraser, Peter O’Malley, Scott Strange, Brett Rumford, Wade Ormsby, Mark Brown, Michael Campbell and recently turned professional Scott Arnold are other Australasians in the field. Marcus Fraser has not missed a cut in a European Tour event since August of last year. The task for Fraser, however, is to finish events off better than he has been. The only time he has seriously contended in that same period was when losing a playoff to Rod Pampling at the Australian Masters.
A huge purse of €4 million is at stake at the course designed by Hubert Chesneau and Robert Von Hagge and opened in 1991.
