(Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines) A trio formed by Hideki Matsuyama, Tommy Fleetwood and Xander Schauffele occupied the lead of the tournament at -11 at the end of the second day on Friday, the Spaniard Jon Ram pointing just behind at -9 in a tournament where around fifteen players can still claim the podium.
Briton Tommy Fleetwood, winner of the French Open in 2017 on this course and one of the heroes of the Ryder Cup in 2018, again on the Golf National, returned the best card of the three in -7. He had not been back here since the Ryder Cup and visibly, he feels rather comfortable on this course known for being difficult.
Japanese Matsuyama, winner of the Masters in 2021, was unable to repeat Thursday’s masterpiece, after a superb -8, returning a card of three shots under par. He almost found himself alone in control of the tournament, but his ball sent into the water on the 18the hole cost him dearly, a very unwelcome double bogey.
The third member of the trio, American Xander Schauffele, very on-line and as effective as ever, signed a card of -5. After his recent victory at the Scottish Open more than ten days ago, his second Major of the season, he is definitely in the running for a double after the Olympic gold won in Tokyo three years ago.
The three are obviously not safe, with two rounds still to play. The Spaniard Jon Ram, solid on Friday with a card of 5 strokes under par, is lurking, just behind at two strokes (-9). But about fifteen players, including Rory Mc Ilroy at -5 or Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 at -6, are still able to come and disrupt the ranking.