Bradley Dredge opened up a one-shot lead on day one of the HNA Open de France as windy conditions at Le Golf National tested the world's best at the third Rolex Series event of the season.
An elite field had gathered at the venue for September's Ryder Cup with a seven million US dollar prize fund on offer, and high winds and punishing rough made the players work for their potential rewards.
Welshman Dredge was the man to lead the way after 18 holes, carding a 67 to sit at four under and a shot ahead of two-time champion Graeme McDowell and England's Andy Sullivan.
Dredge lost his playing privileges last season but posted his best round of the current campaign with a closing 66 at last week's BMW International Open and continued to trend in the right direction as he searches for a first win since 2006.
McDowell is a Vice Captain for the European Team to take on the United States in the autumn but has admitted he is still eyeing a playing place, while Sullivan - who has no missed cuts and four top tens in his last five events this season - continued his recent good form.
There were just 14 players under par in Paris, with Ryder Cup Vice Captain Robert Karlsson, South African Dean Burmester and Belgian Thomas Pieters two shots off the lead.
The scoring was more difficult in the afternoon as the wind got up further, and Dredge admitted he was happy to post his score from the morning wave.
“It was getting tougher and tougher out there,” he said. “Obviously delighted with that score to start the tournament off.
“I think it's playing just right at the moment in terms of firmness. There's just a bit of give on the fairways and the greens.
“Got off to a bad start on ten with a poor tee-shot and made bogey but after that, to remain bogey-free, very pleased with that.”
Northern Irishman McDowell birdied the 11th, 12th and 15th to hit the front and while he dropped a shot on the 16th, he picked it straight back up from 15 feet on the 17th.
Delighted with that score to start the tournament off - Bradley Dredge
Sullivan had picked up strokes on the 11th, 12th and 17th but he bogeyed the second after finding the water and McDowell dropped a shot at the first at the top of a very tight leaderboard.
McDowell birdied the second and third to hit the front on his own again but when he bogeyed the fourth, it was a five-way tie for the lead.
Dredge recovered from a bogey on the tenth with birdies on the 13th, 14th, 17th and third and when the 44 year old birdied the fifth after an excellent approach, he led by two.
McDowell had dropped a shot on the seventh but made the most of the par five ninth to cut the gap to one and Sullivan did the same after birdieing the third but giving the shot straight back at the fourth.
Big-hitting Pieters endured a roller coaster on the back nine after starting on the tenth as he turned in 36 - chipping in on the 17th - but he found his game on the front side, birdieing the first and third, and hitting a stunning approach to the sixth to get within two of the lead.
Swede Karlsson did brilliantly to recover from a double-bogey on the first with four birdies in five holes from the ninth before bogeying the 15th and picking up another shot on the 17th.
Burmester was another man to mount a back-nine recovery, turning in 38 but picking up shots on the 11th, 12th, 16th and last.
There was then a group of eight players at one under including World Number Two Justin Thomas and World Number Five Jon Rahm.
The American turned in 34 from the tenth but a wonderful flop-shot on the third and a 12-foot putt on the fourth had him in a share of the lead before he double-bogeyed the next.
Rahm was just one behind Dredge when he birdied the first, third, sixth and 12th with a single bogey on the fifth but a double-bogey after finding the water on the 15th dropped him back.
Local favourite Grégory Havret, American duo Seung-su Han and Julian Suri, Ireland's Shane Lowry and English pair James Morrison and Chris Wood were also three shots off the lead.
