Open de France Each-Way Tips: Syme can untie French knot

Main Bet: Connor Syme 1pt each-way @ 50/1

A week after the circuit visited the location of the next European-hosted Ryder Cup it heads back to the scene of the last continental tussle on these shores - Le Golf National in Paris.

What golden memories we have of that week.

A united Europe, led by Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood whose triumphant march through the French capital was rather like that of Marius and Enjolras in Les Miserables.

In contrast, the enmity between past team-mates now just feels a bit, well, miserable.

The course, as courses tend to do, prompts chuntering from some (traditionalists and Americans in particular) but in general it is well-liked.

It features a lot of water hazards, ones that threaten both tee shots and approaches, but perhaps its key characteristic is that the landing areas from the tee are both narrow and shallow.

These factors can frustrate some golfers who feel doubly neutered from the tee, that frustration can prompt them to not only keep their favourite club in the bag, but play their next shot irritated and irked as a consequence. Not especially good preparation for hitting the ball straight.

The visuals are also quite distinct - for all the water and the modern shaping there is also a links-like feel to the high land that lines the fairways and also the long grass that waves in the wind from it.

The combination of these factors led me to take a closer look at first pick Connor Syme.

The Scotsman has played Celtic Manor's 2010 Course brilliantly, finishing second, third, eighth and 18th - it's a course that, especially from the first through the 14th, has plenty of water hazards.

What about his long game? He's ranked 10th for Greens in Regulation this year and 55th for Driving Accuracy - moreover he's ranked third for the latter in two of his last four starts. So he can plot his way patiently from tee-to-green.

And what of the visuals? Modern course, lots of water, high land around the course with flowing fescue grass? His win on the Challenge Tour was at Samsun in Turkey and that was much like this week.

His second place at Celtic Manor came in August and he followed it up with another second at Galgorm Castle before missing the cut at Himmerland and making it at Wentworth.

Nice form and I like a player who's played well then taken a step back, especially if, like Syme, it didn't happen because of dire form.

I also like this: many recent winners at Le Golf also had excellent form at Celtic Manor. Alex Noren, Graeme McDowell and Thongchai Jaidee were winners there, Pablo Larrazabal, Nicolas Colsaerts and Tommy Fleetwood have top four finishes in Wales, Marcel Siem and Thomas Levet have contended there.

Syme has done so on multiple occasions and can transfer that form to Paris.

Next Best: Matthew Southgate 1pt each-way @ 50/1

A few years ago, in a DP World Tour blog, Matthew Southgate wrote: "If I had to take a friend to play one course for a weekend it'd be Le Golf National. We're lucky to play so many different courses - links, parkland courses, long ones and tight ones. The standout course is Le Golf National."

Early on in his career (2013) he missed a cut there but since establishing himself at this level he has sandwiched a second missed weekend with 11th in 2016 and fifth in 2018.

He's an accurate hitter from the tee which helps and you suspect that this linksland specialist also enjoys the look of the place.

He's played very nicely in recent weeks, opening the European Masters with a 65 and closing it with a 66 for 23rd.

He shared the 54-hole lead in Denmark before finishing fourth behind Oliver Wilson.

He backed that up with 13th at Wentworth at the BMW PGA Championship and 27th last week in the Italian Open.

I'm a little concerned that a fifth week on the road might lead to fatigue but he was pretty excited about his form in Surrey and will be thrilled to be back at a favourite course.

Final Bet: Marcus Kinhult 1pt each-way @ 50/1

We can get the price we can of Sweden's Marcus Kinhult because he's missed the cut in three of his last five starts and has no top 20 in that spell.

But I'm not massively concerned by that.

This is a fellow who won the British Masters in 2019 off four straight missed cuts.

And I'm even more taken by his capacity to back up good results at favoured courses.

That win, for example, was at Hillside and when the circuit returned there this summer he was third.

He was third at Doha in the Qatar Masters in 2018 and third there again earlier this year.

He was 12th at Muthaiga on the Challenge Tour and eighth there this year.

And so to Le Golf National where he was the two-shot 36- and 54-hole leader in 2018 ahead of finishing fifth - and 11th a year later.

Another player who is neat and tidy tee to green, he also likes links golf and he completes this week's trio as we seek to back up last week's place finish by lead selection Lucas Herbert (and hopefully land the win).

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