PARIS, Sept 28, 2017 (BSS/AFP) – France will host its first Ryder Cup in a year’s time, but it seems unlikely that the fans at Le Golf National will have a home player to cheer as Thomas Bjorn’s Europe bid to regain the trophy from the United States.
France does not have a golfing history to compare to the British countries, or even Spain and Germany, having not had a men’s major winner since Arnaud Massy at the 1907 British Open.
The European Tour has decided to take the biennial tournament to countries that don’t have a strong traditional fanbase for the sport, with the 2022 matches to be held in Italy.
Alexander Levy is currently France’s highest-ranked player at 77 in the world, but has 22 Europeans ranked above him and will have to produce a stunning season to join the likes of Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm in European colours.
The enigmatic Victor Dubuisson became only the third French Ryder Cup player with an impressive display in 2014 but has struggled since, having been widely tipped to become the first Frenchman to play the event twice.
National technical director Christophe Muniesa claimed there was a “one-in-two chance” of a home player competing at Golf National, but 2004 Ryder Cup winner Thomas Levet was more realistic when he put those hopes at “one-in-10”.
“It could happen, as there isn’t a big difference in terms of level of play between the 50th player in the world and the 300th,” added Levet.
Levy, 27, has been France’s best player over the last few years, and the main reason he isn’t higher in the rankings is his inconsistency compared to the top players.
He has won four times on the European Tour, including the China Open in April, while another possible home contender to qualify for Bjorn’s team is the solid, although far from spectacular, Gregory Bourdy.
– Dubuisson in doldrums –
Dubuisson was hailed as the man to boost French golf when he claimed 2.5 points from three matches as Europe won the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
But the 27-year-old’s last victory was at the 2015 Turkish Open and he has slipped to world number 191, his lowest ranking in almost five and a half years.
A former top-20 player, Dubuisson is still his usual relaxed self.
“You can’t make the Ryder Cup a goal, it’s too random,” he claimed, but 238th-ranked Bourdy said he is “ultra-motivated” to qualify.
Dane Bjorn is unlikely to give a captain’s pick to a Frenchman for sentimental reasons alone, as Europe will need the strongest side possible to have any chance of beating a formidable American outfit.
Big-hitting Spaniard Rahm is the top-ranked European at world number five, having only turned professional last year, and has joined the European Tour to ensure he can take on the Americans at the Albatros course.
Four-time major winner McIlroy will almost certainly join Rahm in leading the team, along with Masters champion Garcia and his fellow Ryder Cup veterans Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose.
US captain Jim Furyk will be spoilt for choice from his possible squad, as shown by the sheer amount of success for young Americans this year.
Major winners Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas, all aged 27 or under, are likely to line up alongside Rickie Fowler, world number one Dustin Johnson and Ryder Cup specialist Patrick Reed.
In stark contrast to the array of US talent, the enduring image of French golf remains Jean van de Velde standing in the Barry Burn at Carnoustie on his way to throwing away the 1999 British Open title, and even the Ryder Cup coming to town might not change that.