Graeme McDowell and Richard Sterne share the lead going into the final round of the 97th Open de France at Le Golf National. Presented with an increasingly challenging layout that is being firmed up in the warm Parisian sun, McDowell and Sterne passed the test effectively and find themselves with an opportunity to win their second title on the European Tour in 2013.
On a day that claimed halfway leader Fabrizio Zanotti, who shot 78, and many others, McDowell navigated his way around the difficult examination in a controlled round of 70. The Northern Irishman, who will be attempting to win his third event worldwide this season, reflected on the challenges ahead tomorrow:
"I hope I have the opportunity. It's going to be phenomenal come 2018. The last four holes are as dramatic a risk-reward finish as you could imagine with a combination of a natural amphitheatre.
"The 15th and 18th are two phenomenal holes, especially the pin position on 15 today. When the caddie in the group in front put the pin back in the hole on 15 I thought he'd missed the green with it. It looked like it was in the water."
With such tight pins, it’s a course that requires finesse and precision, two qualities that the former U.S. Open champion possesses. Oddly, McDowell has either won or missed the cut in his last seven starts. Those victories came at the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour, the week after the Masters Tournament, and May’s Volvo World Match Play Championship.
McDowell added: “"This course demands fairways and greens; most courses do but this one even more so. Shots off line here get punished heavily. The greens are very firm. I described it earlier this week as a Scottish or Irish links meets the Players Championship at Sawgrass.
"It's got the risk-reward with the water and it's fast and firm like a links course. It's a great combination."
Clearly a fan of Le Golf National, which is hosting its 21st Open de France, McDowell is hoping that tomorrow will spell an end to a poor run of three consecutive missed cuts: "It's been a rough couple of months, a few weekends off to contemplate what's going on, but it's done nothing but motivate me to work harder and harder and be more hungry for days like tomorrow so I will be excited and looking forward to it."
One man who will also be looking forward to it is Richard Sterne, who won the Joburg Open in his native South Africa early in the season. Despite only playing in nine events, Sterne is 9th in the Race to Dubai, and a victory tomorrow will place him well contention ahead of the European Tour’s closing Series at the end of the season.
Sterne, who shot a level par third round of 72, was happy with his day’s work. "I'm very pleased with 71 in the end. This course can bite you in a lot of places and the finish here is probably the toughest on the tour. This golf course tends to do that. Guys don't keep on going low. There are a lot of guys bunched up. Someone can come from further back but hopefully I get off to a good start again tomorrow and keep it going."
On Thursday, Anders Hansen led the way at 5-under. Two days later, and that remains the leading total. A testament to the challenges of the layout, but as Sterne himself said, it has resulted in a bunched leaderboard.
Richard Green, Bernd Wiesberger and David Howell are just a shot back at 4-under. Soren Kjeldson and Simon Dyson are at 3-under, with a whole host of players at 2-under. That group, just three off the lead, includes Thomas Bjorn, who at one stage held the outright lead on Saturday before struggling to a back nine of 40.
However, Bjorn remains in contention, as are many others. A total of 26 players remain within five shots of the lead with 18-holes to play. Under normal circumstances, it’s a course that is difficult to make up ground on, however with a prestigious title and a significant prize fund on offer, many players may be tempted to take risks during their final round.
The penalties are extreme for anyone playing aggressively, and that will ensure that Sunday could either be a French thriller or farce for the contending players. One thing is for certain; it will be an engrossing watch.
Il y aura un champion.