French Open Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Tour pro loses share of lead on DP World Tour with most bizarre birdie putt you’ll ever see

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 06:03:59 +0000

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again and we’ll never stop saying it: winning isn’t easy in pro golf.

For this week’s example, we point to the Cazoo French Open on the DP World Tour. Ewen Ferguson held a share of the lead with Jordan Smith entering the final round at Le Golf National, site of the 2018 Ryder Cup outside Paris. The Scot won twice on tour in 2022, but came into this week’s event ranked 51st in the Race to Dubai, with a top-50 finish on the points list getting you into the field at the DP World Tour Championship in November. A victory in France would obviously make certain he was playing in the lurcrative season-ender, but a solid showing would make things a lot less tense on the 27-year-old with five regular-season events remaining this autumn.

But Ferguson’s chances at winning took a massive hit on the opening hole … and in the most bizarre fashion.

"Unbelievable" ?

Le Golf National is no easy track as co-leader @EwboF drops two shots! #CazooOpenDeFrance pic.twitter.com/PoPQWqX6sn

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 24, 2023

Ouch. Ferguson took a drop and eventually posted a double-bogey 6. It didn’t get much better on the par-3 second hole when he hit his tee shot into the water and made another double-bogey. A bogey on the par-4 fourth saw him tumble further down the leaderboard.

Ferguson continued to grind, making a birdie on the ninth hole to hit the back nine still just three shots back of Smith. But it’s safe to say this wasn’t the way we’re guessing Ferguson thought the day would play out.

By day’s end, Ferguson posted a four-over 76 that left him tied for 10th, six shots back of eventual winner Ryo Hisatsune, who outpaced Smith with a closing 66 to grab his first career DP World Tour title. The good news? Ferguson did sneak inside the top 50 on the Race to Dubai points list (up to 46th). The bad news? The autumn isn’t going to be any less tense.

Main image: Luke Walker

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Dane Hojgaard clings on to lead after dramatic wobble in France

Matt Smith — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 08:03:03 +0000

By Matt Smith
Rasmus Hojgaard saw his record 36-hole advantage wiped out at the French Open ion Saturday before he bravely fought back to remain in the driving seat for a wire-to-wire victory.

The 21-year-old Dane suufered a quintuple-bogey eight at the par three second hole at Le Golf National.

The three-time DP World Tour winner carried a six-stroke lead into the weekend in France, but things with horribly awry early on as he found the water three times on the tricky second hole at the 2018 Ryder Cup venue.

He sank a 14-foot putt for an eight at the par three and when he followed that up with a bogey at the par five third, Hojgaard looked down and out, six-over par through the opening three holes. But he delighted the fans with a battling comeback, carding five birdies in the final 13 holes to limit the damage to a three-over 74.

That kept him top of the pile on 12-under, one clear of South Africa’s George Coetzee, who signed for a four-under 68 as he targets a sixth DP World Tour victory.

Thomas Pieters, a winner already this season at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, moved himself within touching distance of a seventh career title with a five-under 66, and he was joined on 10-under by Frenchman Paul Barjon whose third-round 70 kept his dreams alive of a debut victory in his home open.

Rasmus Hojgaard: “To be fair I was pretty far down mentally after that start, it was tough but I had to try tell myself that I’ve been playing good the past few days and I shouldn’t let it bother me too much. I just tried my best to stay in there and try hit some good shots.

“I was very proud of myself to be fair. It was obviously an annoying finish with a bogey on 18, but it was a tough grind. I’m proud that I stayed in there and made a few birdies along the way.

“It’s obviously not the Saturday I wanted but at the same time I’m just happy that I stayed in there and I managed to make some birdies and still have the lead, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

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DP World Tour: Rasmus Hojgaard leads a French revolution with 62

Matt Smith — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 06:05:12 +0000

By Matt Smith
It was a Danish delight for Rasmus Hojgaard at the French Open as he equalled the course record at Le Golf National with a nine-under par opening round 62 which featured 10 birdies.

The 21-year-old already has three DP World Tour titles to his name, but has yet to win in the 2022 season having claimed a victory in each of the last three campaigns.

Hojgaard, whose twin brother Nicolai won a second DP World Tour title of his own earlier this year at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in the UAE, enjoyed a strong finish to last week’s Italian Open — carding a final round 66 at Marco Simone Golf Club — and he carried that form into this week’s event at the 2018 Ryder Cup venue.

He birdied four of his first five holes — his only dropped shot of the day coming in between at the second hole – en route to a five under front nine of 31, and he soared into the lead courtesy of four birdies on the way home for a nine-under total.

Sweden’s Alexander Bjork sits second after signing for a seven-under 64, while Frenchman Paul Barjon was a shot further back on six-under, the 30-year-old playing his home open for the first time.

“It’s not that easy but today was very good,” said Hojgaard. “To be fair I didn’t feel like I was that good off the tee but I felt like my approach play today was very good, alongside a very good putter — I holed a few long putts and you have to do that to shoot nine-under.”

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Watch Ian Poulter and his caddie’s fascinating conversation before Poulter pulls off a gutsy shot at French Open

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 04:57:52 +0000

By Christopher Powers
Nothing in golf makes avid fans geek out quite like a great caddie-player conversation. All you have to do is look back to this year’s Masters, when there were riots in the streets after CBS missed that epic back and forth between Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller, leading to an incredible approach shot from Spieth at the par-5 13th that he could only convert into a birdie.

Okay, maybe not riots in the streets, but the Twitter warriors were out in full force, and luckily for them, the video is now on YouTube forever. While it’s not quite the 13th hole on Sunday at the Masters, the European Tour provided caddie-player-convo junkies with their latest fix on Friday, posting this awesome exchange between Ian Poulter and his caddie Terry Mundy in the second round of the French Open to Twitter. Here’s the full video, with captions, of Poulter and Mundy trying to decide what club the Englishman should hit into the 18th green at Le Golf National, one of the toughest shots on the course, and one that should make for a few more fascinating player-caddie conversations at this year’s Ryder Cup:

Watch @IanJamesPoulter and his caddy talk through one of the toughest shots on Tour pic.twitter.com/ZCEkW5xvjk

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 29, 2018

Gutsy shot from Poulter, who appeared to have a hook lie and was considering hitting iron for quite some time there. Mundy deserves a little extra tip because that shot eventually helped Poulter make the cut. The European Tour’s website doesn’t have shot tracker, so we’re assuming Poulter’s drive found the hazard and that’s where he dropped because he made a bogey 5 to post a three-over 74 and to finish at four over for the tournament, right on the cut line. On Saturday, he bounced back with a three-under 68, putting him in a tie for 22nd.

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Perez’s Desert Classic debut off to a flying start…in the press centre at least

Kent Gray — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 13:57:03 +0000

By Kent Gray
Pat Perez obviously intends on playing well in his Omega Dubai Desert Classic debut and will no doubt have a gaggle of golf’s assembled keyboard warriors, as well as his share of the Majlis galleries, willing him on.

From the “amazing wife”/amazing life he currently leads, to perceived Ryder Cup wrongs, a French Open faux-pas, the curly topic of Tiger, to doing it “tough” flying into Dubai on Sergio Garcia’s private jet, the 41-year-old was in top media centre form Tuesday.

Perez has never been one for political correctness and while there was nothing too risqué in his pre-tournament presser, it was thoroughly entertaining. His refreshing honesty and dry humour will certainly be welcomed by the global media this week provided he can live up to his world No.18 billing.

Things started a little slowly before Perez warmed to his task when the topic turned to the Ryder Cup. In the past, it seemed that some Americans at this time of the year hadn’t made the Ryder Cup a priority. Has that changed post Hazeltine?

“Not really for me,” Perez said before going slightly off-piste on a fascinating personal rant.

“I won in Malaysia [CIMB Classic] and I finished fifth in Korea [CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges] and I didn’t get any points for the American side. That kind of upset me a little bit; the fact that I’m 13 on the list, but I should be probably three or four.

“So it kind of put a bitter taste in my mouth; the fact that you win on the PGA Tour and you beat some good players, and yet you don’t get any points because of whatever our committee has decided to do. So that upset me a little bit.

“But The Ryder Cup, it’s a big thing. It’s in France this year, so every American wants to represent their country just like every European wants to represent their countries. You know, it will be exciting to play on a team. I think that’s the only thing I’m really missing. Everybody wants to win a major but there’s only four. Ryder Cup means that you’ve done something really good for two years to make a team, and you get to be with your fellow Americans and represent your country and try to bring home the Cup.”

Perez was adamant “if you win the same calendar year as the actual Cup, they should count. I don’t know why they wouldn’t”. So, have you been able to make that point to anyone?

“No. I haven’t seen Jim [U.S. captain Jim Furyk] at all. I haven’t seen Phil, anybody that’s part of it. I’m sure they are not really interested in my opinion anyway (laughter) so wouldn’t really matter. It wouldn’t really matter.

“You know, all I can do is what I can do. I’m not really worried about — I guess like I’ve said in the past, I’d love to win again, I’d love to be in contention in a major, try to even have a look at one [a major title] would be incredible, and then get back to The Tour Championship because that would set me up again next year to be in all those big tournaments and WGCs and majors and the big schedule that you want to play. That’s really my focus.

“Ryder Cup would be really the cherry on top because that means everything else already had happened and then I played well and then bang, I play the Tour Championship and then The Ryder Cup. They all kind of go hand in hand. So if I don’t play well enough, then I don’t get to Tour Championship and The Ryder Cup’s out, anyway.

“You know, I’m not really focused on it. I’m having a great time in life right now. I’m having a great time on the course. I’ve got really no stress right now. I’m just kind of playing and that’s making it easier for me. But you know, if things go well, they go well. I would love to be part of it, but if I’m not, then, you know, I’ve never been in it, anyway, so I’m not really losing anything.”

Perez was then asked on the travel element of The European Tour versus the PGA Tour?

“Well, the travel, it was tough coming over here. I had to fly with Sergio on his plane from (laughter) it’s like, I had to go commercial from Phoenix to Austin, which was an hour and a half; and I had to get on that G5 and fly all the way over to Singapore and sleep the whole way, and same up here to Dubai. So it’s been tough so far but I’m managing.”

The 41-year-old was quizzed on how many other European Tour events he was likely to play in 2018 which is where the French Open funny reared its head.

“I’m going back to the Porsche in Germany and I was going to try to play the one in — the French, just in case I, you know, got hot enough, have a look at it [le Golf National where the Ryder Cup will also be played].

“Funny enough, I was in Paris last year during The French Open on vacation and I didn’t know the tournament was going on [laughs]. I should have planned it where I played the tournament and I could have done the whole thing. That would have been pretty smart but I didn’t look at it that way. Maybe the wife wouldn’t like that though too much. Vacation’s not a vacation then.”

“I don’t know. I’m going to try to piece it together. I’ll go over it with my group and we’ll see, you know, if things are going really well and I’m still staying high in the FedEx, maybe we can add a few more in. The camaraderie out here, the European group is fantastic. I have a lot of friends out here. I’ve had a lot of people come up and say, hey, great seeing you this and that, haven’t seen you in a while. It’s just a different vibe out here. It’s great. I like it. I like it. It would be nice to mix in a few more.”

Talking of his peers, Perez mightn’t quite fit the profile of today’s model tour professional, the lithe, big-hitting, gym and range rats. But he is more than comfortable “owning his own stuff”.

“Now I’ve won three times and I’ve gotten into the Top-20 in the world, it just seems — I don’t know, it’s not that it’s not as important. It’s just that life is just different,” he said.

“I see more to life than just golf, and before, it was just always golf. I don’t want to say I wasn’t in a good place but I wasn’t playing… I wasn’t this and that, but now life is fantastic and it’s carrying on in my golf.

“I’ve got my game in a spot where it’s never been. I know how I’m going to hit it every day. My short game has been pretty good. I’m not worried about the long hitters and watching them hit 6-iron to a par 5 and I’ve got 3-wood. I’ve gotten past all that.

“You know, I do I what I do and I’m just kind of staying in my own zone.”

With that said, how about this week? You’ve played the course, does it suit your eye?

“It does. It’s a desert course, which, I live in Scottsdale, so we have all desert courses. The grass is pretty similar. They are small greens, but the layouts right in front of you. You hit it in your spot, hit it on the green. I think the layout is fantastic. It’s cool, too, to see all the buildings around and everything. I’m excited about it. I think it’s awesome.”

The media corps pens are poised.

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The Open 2017: With 63 at Birkdale, Li Haotong becomes famous for more than just mom’s viral video

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 16:09:51 +0000

By Ryan Herrington
If the name Li Haotong rings a bell for American golf fans, it’s likely because of the China native’s antics just three weeks ago at the HNA Open de France. Or more aptly the antics of his mom.

When the then-frustrated second-year European Tour pro deposited his putter into a lake at Le Golf National during a fit of temper, mom became a viral sensation by going into the water to retrieve the club.

The 21-year-old Li wanted no part of the talking about his mom’s swim, implying it’s a bit of a sore point in the Li household. “Next question, please,” he joked in the steady English he learned by playing the Web.com Tour in 2015. But he sure was happy to chat about the latest bit of amusement: a closing 63 at Royal Birkdale that vaulted him into shouting distance of the leaders at the Open Championships.

“For some reason since hole No. 8, I started holing everything,” said Li, ranked No. 107 in the world. “I can’t explain it.”

Indeed, over his last 11 holes, Li carded eight birdies, capping the run by making four straight on the final four holes in his first Open Championship appearance.

In the wake of Branden Grace’s 62 on Saturday at Birkdale, the score has slightly little less shine. Still, Li’s round was no less impressive according to his playing partner, Ernie Els.

“That’s not the same number as Grace, but that’s as good a round,” Els said. “He had a nice attitude. You could see he was not backing off. The wind was picking up too. He didn’t miss a putt. He did everything he could.”

Li’s 63 is the 11th in Open history, and marks the second straight year that a player has shot the score on a Sunday at the Open, following Henrik Stenson’s winning 63 at Troon in 2016.

For Li to walk off as the Champion Golfer of the Year, he’s going to need help still from the two men ahead of him on the leader board, Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar. Li’s final-day score put him in the clubhouse at six-under 274. It would seem to be close but not enough to win.

Nevertheless, Li knows what he’ll be doing the next few hours. “I’m going to watch on TV, like all of you.”

The Shanghai native turned pro in 2011 at the age of 16 and has one European Tour win to his credit, last year’s Volvo China Open.

Told that a top-four finish would earn him a spot in next year’s Masters, Li’s eyes lite up.

“Wow. That’s a nice gift.”

He’s also put himself in position to challenge the record for the best Open finish for a player of Asian decent. That mark is held by Liang Huan Lu of Taiwan, who finished runner-up to Lee Trevino in 1971. And where was that Open? Coincidentally at Royal Birkdale.

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