Niall Lyons picks out four selections at this week's Open De France at Le Golf National.
Open De FranceSee All Odds
Course - Le Golf National, Paris. Le Golf National is certainly one of the more challenging courses on the DP World Tour and the players will need to be extra careful with their approach play and be sound around the greens.
Long and straight from the tee certainly helps but I'd favour accuracy much more around here despite some of the ball busters making the frame here in the last handful of renewals.
Greens in Regulation is certainly a statistic high up the list of winners and contenders here whilst scrambling is also a big part of the equation.
Celtic Manor has many similarities even with the naked eye, but on paper it's a course that you can't ignore when analysing the Open de France. McDowell, Jaidee and Noren have all won on both courses whilst a handful of others have solid form on both tracks.
This being one of the tougher tests out there it was no surprise to many that Migliozzi won in 2022 having finished 14th and 4th in the two previous US Open Championships.
McDowell won the US Open and the Welsh Open just weeks apart so anyone in this field who has form on either Celtic Manor or tough Major Championship courses must be closely watched
Previous Winners / Winning Score
- 2025 - M.Kim (-16) *Held at Saint Nom-la-Breteche
- 2024 - D.Bradbury (-16)
- 2023 - R.Hisatsune (-14)
- 2022 - G.Migliozzi (-16)
- 2019 - N.Colsaerts (-12)
- 2018 - A.Noren (-7)
- 2017 - T.Fleetwood (-12)
Open De France Winner Stats
Open De France Betting Tips
| Player | Bet | Odds | Stake | Terms | Bookmaker | Bet Here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Ayora | Each-way | 40/1 | 2pts E/W | 1/4 odds, 6 places | WilliamHill | Click Here |
| Michael Kim | Each-way | 50/1 | 1.5pts E/W | 1/5 odds, 5 places | AK Bets | Click Here |
| Thomas Pieters | Each-way | 55/1 | 1.5pts E/W | 1/5 odds, 5 places | AK Bets | Click Here |
| Manuel Elvira | Each-way | 80/1 | 1pt E/W | 1/5 odds, 6 places | General | Click Here |
Angel Ayora at 40/1 (Six Places)
Angel Ayora has proven somewhat costly to follow over the last couple of years and you'd have been brave to suggest he still would not have landed victory to this point. Nevertheless that is where we are but I am somewhat taken by his price this week. A couple of weeks ago in Ireland he was around the exact same price as what we see this week when that field included Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. Now Aberg, Fitzpatrick and Fleetwood are certainly no pushovers but none of them are particularly firing on all cylinders and this looks like an opportunity for other talented sorts to get in on the action. Ayora fits the bill and Le Golf National should play to his strengths on debut. His iron play went missing a little last week in Wentworth but prior to that his ball striking has been fairly impressive of late. His driver is somewhat curtailed this week at this golf course but it's the price in this field that grabs my attention more than anything else.
Michael Kim at 50/1 (Five Places)
Michael Kim lands here as defending champion on a different layout but Le Golf National should really suit and anything around the 40/1 looks worthy of some investment. Americans who cross over the pond and take to it like a duck to water are always worth a second glance and Kim showed last year that he was able to adapt comfortably. Kim can struggle on layouts that demand a good deal more length off the tee than what Le Golf National does and it was the same last year at Saint Nom La Breteche. He had a little more time last year given that he played at Wentworth the week before that victory but his game looked in fine shape last week at Walnut Cove and he must be considered a dangerous operator here. 10th at the 3M Open in July and 8th at the Rocket Classic last month is solid form that many in this market above 20/1 would struggle to match His iron play has been really solid all year and providing he can avoid the trouble off the tee here he should have a big chance.
Thomas Pieters at 55/1 (Five Places)
Thomas Pieters arrives here after a month off which poses one or two question marks but his credentials for a test such as this are pretty good and he makes the staking plan as a result. The Belgian performed reasonably well on the LIV circuit in 2026 with four top 6 finishes posted. The latest of those came in New York six weeks ago where he didn't have a particularly good week on the greens. It has been that club that has caused him the biggest problems this year and we'll need to see some upturn if he is to compete over the weekend here. His ball striking has been really good of late and a repeat of these figures should give him plenty of chances to score around this tricky layout. 3rd here in 2022 as well as 3rd at Celtic Manor in 2020 suggests he is a really good fit for this and anything around 40/1 or better looks a price worth chancing.
Manuel Elvira at 80/1 (Six Places)
It may sound daft but I'm going to chance Manuel Elvira after last weeks 72nd hole mishap. The week before Wentworth the Spaniard missed the cut at the Irish Open on the number after a second round of 67. His approach play was eye catching and he kept that going in Viriginia Water last week. Elvira will struggle on layouts that demand a good deal of length off the tee so last week suited, as does this week. He has ranked 9th, 13th and 7th in ball striking the last three weeks and a continuation of that should see him score well once again. How he responds to his finish last week is a bit up in the air but his brother alongside him should be an enormous help given the experience he has bagged to date. A similar tale was that of Kyle Stanley who back in 2012 triple bogeyed the last at Torrey Pines to fall into a playoff and subsequently lose. He came out the following week and won the Phoenix Open. Elvira is playing well enough to bounce back from last week's disappointment and it may pay to get on him whilst most punters will steer well clear.
