Denmark&aposs Anders Hansen holds a one-shot lead at the Open de France following a first-round five-under 66 on Thursday. The 42-year-old carved out an early advantage at the European Tour event, mixing seven birdies with two bogeys. Hansen was delighted with his performance at Le Golf National. “It is a tough course – the greens are pretty firm and it&aposs tight out there. There&aposs hardly any wind, and you see the scores aren&apost that great,” he said. “I played actually really solid from tee to green – I think I only missed two or three greens. I putted quite well, so just sort of all came together. “At some stage it seemed a bit easy, but this course gets your attention and next thing you know, you&aposre making bogeys.” The Dane also revealed after his round that his due to undergo hand surgery last week, but his game was clearly not hampered. Frenchman Romain Wattel currently holds second place on four under, and sits one shot ahead of nine other contenders who posted three-under-par rounds. Defending champion Marcel Siem, meanwhile, appears to already be out of the running for the title after a disappointing round of seven-over par. Other notable names who remain in touch after the first day include Thomas Bjorn (three under), Martin Kaymer (three under), Graeme McDowell (two under) and 2010 winner Miguel Angel-Jimenez (two under). And Matt Kuchar, the highest-ranked player competing at the event, is just one under par after making his debut outing in France.
Author: Omnisport