A strong field of 144 will tee up at Le Golf National this week for the Open de France - a DP World Tour event - with Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg all in attendance.
That trio, alongside Viktor Hovland, are all European Ryder Cup stars, and some mouthwatering threeballs will be on show during Thursday’s opening round.
The betting community love to invest in the first-round leader market, which pays out three days earlier than the outright market, and former Open de France champion Fleetwood is contesting favouritism for Thursday's 18-hole battle for the top of the leaderboard.
Fleetwood is 18/1 to be leading after round one - the same price against the name of Swedish ace Aberg.
When Fleetwood won at Le Golf National in 2017, he opened with a round of 67 and was tied for fifth place after day one. Given he missed the cut by five shots in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last week, it is difficult to be confident about a fast start in France this time.
Aberg's only course experience came in the 2024 Olympics at Le Golf National, where he carded a first-round 68 on his way to 18th place. Fleetwood fired a round-one 67 in the Olympics and ended up with a silver medal.
Fitzpatrick does not usually play in the Open de France, but has added the event to his schedule this year because he does not want to play in the season-ending playoffs in the Middle East.
The Yorkshireman slumped to a third-round 81 in a miserable Olympics effort at Le Golf National two years ago. He is 20/1 to improve his course record by taking the first-round lead on Thursday.
The tournament starts at 6.50am UK and Ireland time on Thursday. A clear, sunny first day is forecast.
Open de France First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet - Angel Ayora each-way @ 45/1
Alternative Bet - Ugo Coussaud each-way @ 70/1
Alternative Bet - Oihan Guillamoundeguy each-way @ 90/1
Open de France First-Round Leader Prediction
Best Bet: Angel Ayora each-way @ 45/1
Angel Ayora is one of the most promising youngsters on the DP World Tour and over 18 holes he is capable of outscoring anyone. The stiff ball-striking test of Le Golf National should bring out the best in the sweet-swinging Spaniard.
A chilly morning looks set to be followed by a warm, calm, pleasant afternoon, so first-round-leader punters may be best advised to concentrate on the later starters. Ayora is out at 12:20 BST.
Alternative Bet: Ugo Coussaud each-way @ 70/1
The French in the field will probably be inspired to perform at their best on home turf and Ugo Coussaud, like Ayora, is a DP World Tour maiden capable of getting extremely hot over just 18 holes.
Winning over 72 holes is much more challenging for players who have yet to lift a DP World Tour trophy, but Coussaud is a strong putter who can fly out the gates. He carded a 67 in last year's Open de France to be fourth after round one.
Alternative Bet: Oihan Guillamoundeguy each-way @ 90/1
Another Frenchman, Oihan Guillamoundeguy, has quickly proved he can handle the DP World Tour, and the 21-year-old is a magnificent ball-striker.
Guillamoundeguy is a juicy price to put some recent setbacks behind him by bouncing back to form in his homeland and claiming the first-round lead.
Key Tournament Stats
Le Golf National is a 7,365-yard, par-71, with three par-fives
Thirteen of the last 15 Open de France winners had already won a DP World Tour event
The course record is 62, carded by three players, and Guido Migliozzi is the only course-record holder in this week's field
There are five course winners in this week's field - Marcel Siem, Tommy Fleetwood, Guido Migliozzi, Dan Bradbury and Michael Kim
Five of the last 13 champions won with a single-figure under-par total
Four of the world's top 20 are in this week's field
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
