Tom Kim navigated torrential early morning rain to post a bogey-free seven under par 64 and take the lead on the opening day of the Cazoo Open de France.
The South Korean, making his first appearance in France’s national open, was part of the morning wave of starters who were faced with wet and windy conditions at Le Golf National, but leads by one from English duo Richard Mansell and Matt Southgate, Spaniard Alfredo Garcia-Heredia and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren, who still has to complete his final hole, on six under par.
Related: Joohyung Kim excited to tee off at Cazoo Open de France
With the driving rain proving relentless at the home of French golf, the 21-year-old made the turn at one under par after starting from the tenth, but came alive on his inward nine, beginning with a quartet of birdies from the first and then a par at the fifth. Back-to-back birdies followed at the sixth and seventh before finishing his opening effort with a pair of pars.
The two-time PGA TOUR winner is closely followed by the quartet sharing second place, and a further ten players a shot further back in a tie for sixth, including Scottish duo Ewen Ferguson and David Law, Spain’s Adrian Otaegui and Dane Rasmus Højgaard, who finished second to Guido Migliozzi in this event last year.
Amateur Hugo Le Goff, who trains at Le Golf National’s performance centre, is the leading French player in a share of 16th place on four under par. The 15-year-old, who won the French Amateur Championship aged just 13, posted a bogey-free four under par on an unforgettable day for the Parisian.
History was made on the first day of the 105th edition of the Cazoo Open de France, Continental Europe’s oldest national open, with Englishman David Howell equalling Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s all-time appearance record. The five-time winner is teeing it up for the 721st time on the DP World Tour and posted a three over par round of 74 on day one.
Howell’s countryman Graeme Storm, the two-time DP World Tour winner, also reached a memorable milestone on day one as he made his 500th and final DP World Tour start at the scene of his 2007 Open de France victory.
Player quotes
Tom Kim: I didn’t really expect anything. It played really hard today with the rain, this course when it starts to rain and with the wind up, it’s not easy. I knew I was playing well and I just tried to play the round as stress-free as possible. I definitely did that today. I hit it really well, positioned myself well off the tee and definitely feeling good going into the next three days.
[The Olympics being here] is just a bonus. I played last week and just with France being so close to the UK, it was just a great move. Knowing the Olympics is going to be here next year, if I can qualify then it’s definitely good prep. At least seeing the course before coming here, if I get the chance next year, just having that and knowing the course is going to help. It’s a bonus for me.
Richard Mansell: I played brilliant today. It was really tricky out there but it was important to stay patient, take each shot as they come and play the golf course. It’s a tough golf course so I was thankful a couple of the tees were moved with the wind because it did not stop hosing down all day, so it was a really good start.
It’s been a really tough year. Just being honest, I’ve really struggled. I’ve lacked a lot of confidence but I feel like I’ve had a lot going on in my head and off the course. I’ve struggled to focus on the job at hand. I’ve really tried to work hard recently and think about things and reflect on last year and what I was doing well before. I was really proud of today. Stuck to my game plan, committed to shots and today pulled them off and shot a great score. That’s a massive boost because I’ve been working really hard but had nothing to show for it and I’ve really struggled. Golf is a tough game and I’m proud of that day but it doesn’t mean anything now. I’ve got to go and focus and switch my attention to tomorrow.
