Graeme McDowell will begin his quest for a hat-trick of Alstom Open de France titles alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood and rising French star Alexander Levy when the €3million tournament begins on Thursday.
The Northern Irishman, the champion at Le Golf National for the past two years, tees off from the tenth at 13.20 local time, one group behind the widely-tipped Francesco Molinari, two-time winner this season Anirban Lahiri and young Frenchman Gary Stal.
The marquee group in the morning has a Ryder Cup flavour, with Martin Kaymer, who won here in 2009, alongside his 2014 team-mates Victor Dubuisson and Jamie Donaldson at 8.30 from the tenth.
One group ahead of them is Englishman Danny Willett, currently second in The Race to Dubai, Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and France’s Julien Quesne, while the last player to win the event before McDowell, Germany’s Marcel Siem, has Italian Matteo Manassero and Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg for company at 13.50 from the tenth tee.
European Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke begins his campaign with Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and up-and-coming Englishman Eddie Pepperell at 7.50 from the tenth, while behind them is another home favourite in Grégory Havret alongside Scots Stephen Gallacher and Marc Warren.
A total of 29 French players will be attempting to become the first home player since Thomas Levet in 2011 to win the Alstom Open de France, including Raphaël Jacquelin, who begins from the tenth in the company of in-form Englishmen James Morrison and Chris Wood.
