Open de France 2024 FRL Tips: Four to hit the front on Thursday

The DP World Tour heads to France this week and our golf tipster Jamie Worsley has already posted his Open de France Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights.

Now though, he focuses on the First Round Leader market and has four names to consider to start fast on Thursday. Check out his Open de France FRL Tips below...

*You can get all the latest Open de France over at betfred.com

The weather is set to make things extra-difficult during tomorrow’s opening round of the Open de France. However, one side of the draw looks more challenging than the other, which we can use to our advantage in the first-round leader market.

A constant 9-11mph breeze is forecast to blow throughout the day, as are gusting winds of 19-23mph, which look at their strongest in the afternoon. Though the real difference in the morning-afternoon conditions comes in the way of rain.

The threat of rain is forecast to linger over the course of the day but is currently much more likely in the afternoon and is predicted to be heavier for those later starters. This should benefit those teeing off early and it’s there that I’ll focus all of my attention at Le Golf National tomorrow.

1 pt Yannik Paul ew (1/4 - 5 places) @ 50/1 

Start time: 09:55

First up is Yannik Paul. He has returned to form over recent starts and possessing an excellent record at Le Golf National, he can take advantage of his early tee-time to take the lead on Thursday.

The German has hit the top 25 in each of his last three events, finishing 18^th in the BMW PGA Championship, 24^th in the Open de Espana and 19^th in the Dunhill Links.

Renewed quality in approach and on the greens have been the driving forces behind his improved form. As a player who makes few bogeys, ranking 21^st in bogey avoidance, he should cope with tomorrow’s demanding conditions better than many.

Paul has finished 6^th and 8^th on his two Open de France starts. Efforts which have been aided by positive first-round performances, sitting inside the top 20 after day one in each. He’s also been starting positively over those recent results and looks a sound candidate to do so again this week.

0.75 pts Connor Syme ew (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

Start time: 08:25

Connor Syme has produced a consistent series of results over the latest months and though failing to perform in each of his prior visits to Le Golf National, his solid ball-striking and ability to keep bogeys off his card make him a player in round one.

Syme hasn’t missed a cut in eight starts and has recorded three top 20s over this time, finishing 4^th in the BMW International Open, 15^th in the Scottish Open and 17^th in the Irish Open.

He’s been among the best ball-strikers in this field over the last three months, ranking inside the top 25 in approach and off-the-tee during that time. This high-quality ball-striking allows him to keep bogeys at a minimum, ranking 14^th in bogey avoidance, which should serve him well on Thursday.

Syme has missed each of his three cuts in this event, but he has kicked-off well in the last two, especially last year, where a 4-under 67 had him sat in 16^th after the first round. He’s playing well enough to put up a much improved effort this time around and a good start tomorrow can give him the foundations to do so.

0.75 pts Paul Waring ew (1/4 - 5 places) @ 70/1

Start time: 08:15

Paul Waring ticks most boxes for this market. He’s one of the best bogey avoiders on the DP World Tour this season, has some encouraging recent form that has been helped by starting well and before his latest start in Spain, his ball-striking had looked in good shape. As a previous first-round leader here in 2017, he can repeat that performance this week.

The Englishman has recorded four top-25 finishes over the course of his last seven starts, which includes a best of 6^th in the Czech Masters. That was an event in which he started nicely, shooting a 4-under 68 in the opening round and two starts after that he opened with a 67 to tie the first-round lead in the British Masters, before backing that up with another first-round top 10 in the Irish Open.

He ranks 22^nd in bogey avoidance this season, which has been made possible by his ever-reliable ball-striking. He’s especially looked good in approach, ranking 29^th.

Waring has played Le Golf National on seven occasions, producing a best finish of 16^th in 2017. As mentioned, he took the first-round lead there, with a 7-under 64 and he can achieve the same position tomorrow from his advantageous early start time.

0.5 pts Thomas Aiken ew (1/4 - 5 places) @ 110/1 

Start time: 09:05

Thomas Aiken has been playing his best golf for several years in 2024. Though he’s missed his last two cuts, his accurate ball-striking and excellent touch on and around the greens can see him handle Thursday’s difficulties.

Prior to missing his last two, the South African had made his first 11 DP World Tour cuts this season, over which time he recorded seven top-25 finishes.

His short game has been superb, ranking 9^th in putting and 16^th around-the-greens. This has been complimented by competent ball-striking, ranking 5^th in driving accuracy and 32^nd in approach. All of this equips him with the necessary skills to keep bogeys off his card, as he ranks 11^th in bogey avoidance.

Aiken has played here eight times, recording a best of 23^rd in 2017. He’s in the form to better that performance this year and can give himself the best chance of doing just that by taking the lead at Le Golf National tomorrow.

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