DID YOU KNOW – 100TH OPEN DE FRANCE
• The 100th Open de France will become the first national open championship on Continental Europe, to be played 100 times. The tournament began in 1906. The only years the event was not played was 1915-1919 and 1940-1945.
• Bernd Wiesberger, the 2015 champion will be aiming to be the sixth player to make a successful defence since the event became part of the European Tour in 1972. He aims to follow: Peter Oosterhuis (1972-73), Seve Ballesteros (1985-86), Sir Nick Faldo (1988-89), Jean-François Remesy (2004-05) and Graeme McDowell (2013-14).
• The Open de France is second on the list for players to win the same European Tour event in consecutive seasons, with five. The Irish Open is top of the list with six successful defences.
• History was created in the 1986 Open de France when Seve Ballesteros became the first player to successfully defend a European Tour title and win both in a wire-to-wire fashion, in 1985 and 1986.
• The 2008 champion, Pablo Larrazábal had to qualify to play in the event and became the first qualifier to win the Open de France and just the then seventh qualifier in the history of the European Tour to win an event. His wire-to-wire triumph was the first by a rookie since Henrik Stenson at the 2001 Benson and Hedges International Open. (Matthew Fitzpatrick was the first rookie since Larrazábal in 2008 to win wire-to-wire, after claiming the 2015 British Masters supported by Sky Sports).
• The Open de France is used to high profile players winning the Championship. No less than 20 Major Champions have their name etched on the roll of honour since 1906.
• The Albatros course at le Golf National will be the host venue for the 100th Open de France and for the 24th time overall. It was first used in 1991 when Eduardo Romero win the title. The venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup has always provided a stern test of golf. The lowest winning total is 269 by Pablo Larrazábal in 2008.
• In 2004 Jean-François Remesy won the Open de France by seven shots to become the first Frenchman to win his national open championship since Jean Garaialde in 1969.
• The quality of the field is highlighted by there being eight Major Champions, 87 European Tour winners, 18 Ryder Cup players, four World Numbers Ones, six European Number Ones competing.
