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Manassero In The Mix at French Open
Nilsson Delighted with Return to Form
Jacquelin Leads Home Hopes in Paris
Van de Velde’s Vision for French Open
Manassero In The Mix at French Open
VERSAILLES, France, July 5, 2012 (AFP) - Italian teenager Matteo Manassero shrugged off a lean spell to fire a bogey-free 66 in the first round of the French Open at Le Golf National outside Versailles on Thursday.
That left him in a three-way tie for second place just one stroke behind surprise first round leader Christian Nilsson of Sweden.
Level with Manassero on 66 were England's Gary Boyd and in-form Thai veteran Thongchai Jaidee.
A stroke further back came David Lynn of England, Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Federico Colombo of Italy.
Manassero a 19-year-old prodigy from Verona, has been tipped to go far since he won the Silver Medal as top amateur in the 2009 Turnberry British Open, and tour wins quickly followed in the 2010 Castello Masters and the Malaysian Open in April 2011.
But since then he has failed to add to his tournament win haul and has struggled for scores in his last four tournaments in which his best finish was 28th at the Wales Open.
But perfect early playing conditions on the Albatross course at Le Golf National, the host venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup, were to his liking and he made an early statement with his five-under round.
"Of late, I've been quiet," he said. "I started the year really well with five Top-10s and then the last few events I was playing well but still couldn't score.
"But this gives me confidence for doing a good week here.
"It was the best round you could have because on this golf course you can't stay too nervous or too tense because if you don't play well this course makes you think about all of the mistakes that you can make."
First round leader Nilsson was another who has struggled of late with eight missed cuts in 14 starts this year leaving him 156th place in the Race to Dubai European Tour money list.
But he believes that a good dose of patience and some dedicated practice are starting to pay dividends.
"It's been a struggle this year for me so far, so I really needed this score today and especially on this tough course. It's good for my confidence and really, really helps.
"In the beginning of the year, my long game was pretty bad and my short game has been all right all year.
"These last few weeks, the long game has improved and the putting seems to be working as well. So today everything clicked."
It was the 10th straight year that the French Open has been held at Le Golf National, the purpose-built headquarters of the French Golf Federation, and there was a double attraction for players this year - to gain experience on the future Ryder Cup course and to find form ahead of the British Open at Royal Lytham in two weeks time.
World No.2 Lee Westwood, the top-ranking player in the field, bounced back from being four-over through six holes to come in with a 70, while fellow Englishman Justin Rose, ranked ninth, carded a level-par 71.
Defending champion Frenchman Thomas Levet, who broke his leg while jumping into the greenside lake at the 18th hole last year to celebrate his win, struggled to a 72, coming in among the late starters who had to finish in heavy rain.
Nilsson Delighted with Return to Form
Sweden's Christian Nilsson, without a single top 35 finish all season, was the leader of the Alstom Open de France after the first round at Le Golf National near Paris.
The former St Omer winner shot a six under par 65 on the course that will host the 2018 Ryder Cup.
The 33 year old, 263rd in the Official World Golf Ranking, leads by one from England's Gary Boyd, Italian teenager Matteo Manassero and ISPS Handa Wales Open winner Thongchai Jaidee, from Thailand.
World Number Three Lee Westwood recovered from four over after six holes and from playing one shot while standing in a lake to match Open Champion Darren Clarke's 70.
Nilsson said: "It's been a struggle for me so far this year. My long game was pretty bad, but it's improved and this is good for my confidence.
“I've been very patient I think. I've been practising on things I believe in and just waiting for something to happen - finally looks like it did.”
He followed four birdies in six holes with a bogey six at the 596 yard ninth, then collected more birdies on the tenth, 14th and 15th.
It is only just over a month ago that Boyd began with an 88 that included two tens at The Celtic Manor Resort, but he flew to America to see his coach straight afterwards and has put the pieces back together.
"That was a bit of a disaster, but I've had a lot of positive signs the last three weeks," said the 25 year old, twice a runner-up since stepping up from The Challenge Tour two years ago.
"I'm working on the right things I feel and am getting comfortable again. My game wasn't where it needed to be and it was time to take a time-out."
Manassero, who already has two European Tour wins to his name, also had five birdies and no dropped shots.
“It was a very good round,” he said. “Everything was going the right direction, the way I wanted.
“You have to give yourself the most opportunities for birdies that you can, and I didn't feel like I putted that well, but I was solid and I made some of those chances.”
Westwood, in his last tournament before The Open Championship, said: "I didn't do much wrong to be four over, but there's not a lot of panic in me any more - I haven't got much time for that.
"It was not going my way, but you just have to get it out of your mind."
His water adventure came on the ninth, his final hole. The ball stopped on the edge, but to play his second he rolled up his trouser legs and waded in with his shoes and socks on.
The reason for not going barefoot was that he remembered Thomas Levet jumping in the lake and breaking his leg after winning last year.
"I didn't know what was in there," said Westwood. "I've got plenty of shoes with me."
His paddle brought back memories of Jean Van de Velde at Carnoustie 13 years ago – and the Frenchman is now the tournament director here.
Clarke, who made his first cut of the year at Royal Portrush last Friday, mixed five birdies - two of them in the dangerous last three holes - with two bogey sixes and a double bogey six on the 399 yard 15th.
Jacquelin Leads Home Hopes in Paris
Raphaël Jacquelin was in buoyant mood after starting his Alstom Open de France campaign with a three under par 68.
The Frenchman’s effort left him only three shots behind early pacesetter Christian Nilsson as he looks to replicate Thomas Levet’s achievement of 12 months ago and win his home national Open.
After starting on the back nine, Jacquelin turned in 33 then holed a 20 foot birdie putt at the first.
A further gain at the second took him to four under, before a bogey at the fourth blemished his card slightly.
“I think three under here on Le Golf National, I'll take it, I’m very happy with it,” said the former Sicilian Open champion.
“I saved a lot of pars, but I think the set-up of the course is like that.
“It's probably pretty much the same as usual from the tee, which I think makes it easier for me because even when you hit the ball in the rough, you're going to lay up anyway and you're not going to try to hit the greens.
“All of the French players want to put their name on this trophy. It's been a long way to go, so three rounds to go, I'm just going to try to stay focussed on my game as I did today. If the putter is hot like today, I might be up there.”
Levet and another former French winner of the title, Jean-François Remesy, shot one over par 72s and face a battle to make the halfway cut.
But Julien Guerrier put himself in the hunt with a two under par 69, and Edouard Dubois, Damien Perrier and former US Open runner-up Grégory Havret all carded rounds of 70.
Van de Velde’s Vision for French Open
Having played an integral role in Paris’ successful 2018 Ryder Cup bid, Jean Van de Velde is once again at the forefront of French golf this week, having taken on a new challenge as the Championship Director for the Alstom Open de France.
The veteran of 463 European Tour events has become something of an ambassador for golf in France since winding down in playing career in recent years, and he has now been given the chance to oversee the future development of his national Open in the build-up host venue Le Golf National staging The Ryder Cup in six years’ time.
Van de Velde, who was famously runner-up to Paul Lawrie in The 1999 Open Championship, helped launch the 96th staging of continental Europe’s oldest Open Championship on Wednesday with defending champion Thomas Levet.
He hopes to grow and develop the tournament, which was first played in 1906, and admits he is thoroughly enjoying his new responsibilities outside the ropes.
“It’s a very fulfilling role,” he said. “There are obviously lots of things I know about in terms of the playing side, the course, the players and the golfing bodies, but everything to do with logistics and planning is new to me. There is a lot goes into it.
“It was great launching the tournament with Thomas, who is defending the title. We have a good interaction. His win last year was huge for French golf.”
Van de Velde, who played in The 1999 Ryder Cup, believes the Alstom Open de France is vital in helping nurture young French players and giving them vital experience of playing alongside some of the game’s leading players.
“We have 25 French players in the field this week – 24 professionals and one amateur – and it is very important that the young guys learn a lot this week,” he said. “We have worked on the draw and we are very pleased with the pairings. They all have wonderful pairings and will all gain a lot of experience.
“Having the Ryder Cup here in six years is a huge incentive and target for these players, and the French Open is an important way of them getting experience of playing against the top players from around the world.
“We want to make this event the best it can possibly be with the top players, and the field this years is very, very strong. These are exciting times for golf in France and our national Open is a massive part of that.”
Van de Velde returned from injury problems to finish runner up to compatriot Jean-François Remesy in the 2005 Alstom Open de France and he knows exactly what playing in the tournament means to the French players.
“It meant the world to Thomas to win last year,” he said. “It has the highest place in his heart. The French Open was always the first tournament, above anything else, that I wanted to win. I was close a few times, losing to Jean-François in a play-off, and so I can only imagine what it was like for Thomas.”
Martin Kaymer, Alstom Open de France champion in 2009, welcomed Van De Velde’s involvement in the tournament.
“It’s interesting and I think it’s great that they want to move the tournament forward and get more international players,” he said. “It’s a good idea to get Jean on board and it can only help the tournament grow.”
In addition to his role as Championship Director, Van de Velde was also announced as an ambassador for Unicef France, aimed at helping children worldwide.
“The desire to get involved in the cause of children is obvious to me and I am convinced that I can help make the public aware of Unicef’s work and help raise money through golf,” he said.
Leading scores on Thursday in the first round of the French Open at the par-71, Le Golf National course:
65 - Christian Nilsson (SWE)
66 - Gary Boyd (ENG), Matteo Manassero (ITA), Thongchai Jaidee (THA)
67 - David Lynn (ENG), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP), Federico Colombo (ITA)
68 - Marcel Siem (GER), Raphael Jacquelin (FRA), Henrik Stenson (SWE), Steve Webster (ENG), Jeev Milka Singh (IND), Steve Waring (ENG), Tjaart Van Der Walt (RSA)
69 - Lorenzo Gagli (ITA), Julien Guerrier (FRA), Jamie Moul (ENG), Richie Ramsay (SCO), Jaco Van Zyl (RSA), Thomas Norret (DEN)
70 - Carlos del Moral (ESP), Richard Finch (ENG), George Coetzee (RSA), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP), Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL), Lee Westwood (ENG), Rafa Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Fraser (AUS), Shane Lowry (IRL), Alexander Noren (SWE), David Howell (ENG), Edouard Dubois (FRA), Brendan Steele (USA), Stephen Gallacher (SCO), Anders Hansen (DEN), Gregory Havret (FRA), Darren Clarke (NIR), David Drysdale (SCO), Thomas Aiken (RSA), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Damien Perrier (FRA)