Top French hope Victor Dubuisson, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Jaco van Zyl of South Africa shared the first-round clubhouse lead on Thursday in the 99th French Open at le Golf National.
The enigmatic Frenchman, the emerging Austrian talent and the latest South African prospect posted their three-under scores of 68 early in the day after two-and-a-half hours had been lost as players took cover from stormy weather spawned by the heatwave stifling western Europe.
The afternoon starters set off later than scheduled, but play was called off late in the evening with fears growing of further storms on the way.
At that stage, the leader out on the course was unheralded German Max Kieffer, who got to four-under through 14 holes thanks to three birdies in four holes from the ninth.
Others were poised to join the leading trio in the lead at three-under.
Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Andrew Dodt of Australia were both on that mark with one hole to play.
Former world No. 1 Martin Kaymer, the 2009 French Open champion, was among those done and dusted with their first rounds on two-under 69.
However, there was a battle ahead for Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, aiming to record a rare hat-trick of title wins in a European Tour event.
The winner in 2013 and last year, who has struggled for form all year, was one-over with a hole to play, two late birdies giving him fresh hope.
Crowd favorite Dubuisson said that he was aware of the pressure building on him to produce a home win.
The 25-year-old shotmaker from the Mediterranean glamor resort of Cannes said that his pace-setting 68 could have been even better had the rub of the green gone his way.
As it was, a superb approach to two feet produced a fine birdie at the 18th, his ninth, that helped put him level with Wiesberger from among the morning starters.
The last French winner of continental Europe’s oldest national championship was Thomas Levet in 2011 and Dubuisson is the star name among a raft of young French players starting to make their marks on the European Tour.
That is a role that Dubuisson says he is happy to accept although he understands it can crank up the pressure on him.
“I feel more the expectation and a little bit of pressure from the crowd, because I especially want to do well for them, more than in other tournament. That’s how I feel,” he said.
Dubuisson was one of 29 Frenchmen in the field and he has company high up on the leaderboard, with Gregory Bourdy in with a two-under 69.
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