Yorkshire's Joe Dean and Alex Fitzpatrick chasing breakthrough win at Open de France
Half a dozen Yorkshire golfers tee off at the Open de France this week all chasing mini-goals before the end of the DP World Tour season.
After starting his rookie season three months after most of his rivals as he gathered funds through driving a Morrisons delivery van and waiting on sponsors invites, few would have expected Joe Dean to be the highest-placed of the White Rose sextet in action at Le Golf National today.
But the 30-year-old from Sheffield has adapted far better than he could have imagined to competitive life on the continent’s top circuit and sits 27th on the Race to Dubai standings, assured of a place in the field for the season-ending DP World Championship next month and even in a position to snag one of the 10 cards on the PGA Tour that are available to the highest finishers not already exempt, that is if he can turn two runner-up finishes and a third place into a win.
Hallamshire’s Alex Fitzpatrick is not far behind in 34th as he chases his first victory.
Another rookie Sam Bairstow is 55th, comfortably inside the top 70 that play the first play-off event in Abu Dhabi, but needing a good week somewhere over the next four events to climb into the top 50 to qualify for Dubai.
Dan Bradbury made it to Dubai in his rookie year last term but has struggled for form in his sophomore season, the Wakefield golfer down in 98th and battling to save his card for next year. The top 115 do, so he should be all right.
Former Masters winner Danny Willett continues his slow build back into form by getting another tournament under his belt following last year’s shoulder surgery, while Daniel Gavins of Leeds is looking to make a cut for the first time since January.
Headline attractions this week are Billy Horschel, who won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth three weeks ago, and Justin Rose, who helped Europe win the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National back in 2018. "The course is iconic in the sense of the finishing stretch around the lakes, you remember moments that happened out there, and of course it was a special European win again," reflected Rose who is playing the Open de France for the first time in 12 years.