Félix Mory is targeting a strong outing on home soil to boost his promotion chances when he tees it up in the Hopps Open de Provence at Golf International de Pont Royal this week.
The Frenchman is currently 42nd on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, and with just three events of the European Challenge Tour schedule to go, will make sure of his place at the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by the R&A next month by remaining in the top 45.
The 29-year-old could go one better by climbing into the top 20 by the conclusion of the season, with graduation to the DP World Tour the ultimate goal, and he's confident his game is trending in the right direction at just the right time.
“I've been playing pretty well the last few weeks so I'm excited to just go and have fun and hit some good shots,” he said. “Obviously this event and then the last two events are important.
“I'm 42nd in the Rankings so a good week here would put me in the Grand Final and maybe more. I'm trying not to think too much about it, to just do my job and go day by day.
“In practice I'm doing things that I'm pretty happy about. I feel like by ball striking has been getting better and better as the weeks have gone by. If I can make some putts and build confidence on the greens then I'll have a few good weeks.”
Mory, who won for the first time on the Challenge Tour at the Dormy Open back in 2021, has recorded four top ten finishes this year, with a season-best tied fourth coming at last month’s Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos.
The Frenchman arrives in Provence with a renewed focus – particularly on the mental side of the game – but admits patience will be key on the Seve Ballesteros designed course.
“To stay in the right place mentally is going to be important,” he added. “I don’t see playing in France as an advantage, but I know the course pretty well. Maybe it adds a little more pressure as you always want to do well in your home country.
“Patience is always key in golf, wherever you play. Here you can get frustrated pretty fast. Being good off the tee is important and if you hit the fairways, you can give yourself a lot of birdie chances.
“I'm just going to enjoy the week and be grateful to be here. It's really nice around here and I don't think it's going to be too windy. The countryside is beautiful and the food is great. My wife is here this week which is great too.”
Mory is part of a strong field in France that includes 2021 Hopps Open de Provence winner Alfie Plant, Road to Mallorca Number One Ugo Coussaud and two-time DP World Tour winner Joachim B Hansen.
Round one gets under way on Thursday at 8:10am local time with Mory teeing off alongside Joel Sjöholm and Lorenzo Scalise at 9:00am.
