The Open de Bretagne is renowned for its spectacular venue and notable list of champions. Who will follow in the footsteps of Eddie Pepperell, Andrea Pavan and last year’s winner Jack Singh Brar?
We take a look at three players to keep an eye on at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André this week.
Matthew Jordan
The Englishman, who burst into the limelight with an opening round of 63 at the Betfred British Masters earlier this year, has already tasted success on the Road to Mallorca this season with victory at the Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil.
Jordan is one of three members of the 2017 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team teeing it up in Brittany this week, and will undoubtedly be following the transatlantic match-up from across the Channel when the biennial contest gets under way at this home club, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, this weekend.
The former plus seven handicapper has enjoyed plenty of success since his amateur days, not least in Italy, where he recorded his maiden professional victory with a final round of 66, six under par. Having grown up playing links golf, Jordan’s game is well-equipped to deal with the exposed seaside layout at Pléneuf Val André. Expect another strong finish from the Merseyside-born player who has already recorded nine top 20 finishes this year.
Darius van Driel
The Dutchman returns to action at the Open de Bretagne just two weeks after capturing his first win of the season at the Rolex Trophy in Switzerland. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to go low, firing six rounds of 64 or lower this year, including at the Rolex Trophy where he stormed to his second Challenge Tour victory in 12 months with closing two rounds of 63-64.
Van Driel has already shown he can compete at the top-tier of European Tour golf with a second place finish at the Belgian Knockout in June, and with five top 10 showings to his name already this year few would put it past to him to add to his winning tally in France this week.
The 30-year-old currently sits in ninth place in the Road to Mallorca Rankings and with eight tournaments left in the season is looking to finish strongly to ensure he will be one of the fifteen players who secure their European Tour card for the 2020 season.
Damien Perrier
Three French players, Grégory Havret, Robin Roussel and Antoine Rozner, currently sit within the top 15 spots on the Road to Mallorca. However, be sure to keep an eye on their compatriot Damien Perrier, who jumped up the Rankings last month with a fourth-place finish at the ISPS Handa World Invitational Men | Women, Presented by Modest! Golf Management. The Frenchman has a strong track record at this event, finishing as the leading home player in 2018 after recording a sixth place showing after four consecutive rounds in the 60s.
Sitting just outside the top 40 on the Road to Mallorca, Perrier needs to finish strong over the coming weeks if he is to secure a return to the European Tour.
