The Punter's In-Play Blog: Fitzpatrick shows the way at halfway

21:35 - September 25, 2026 - Thriston Lawrence the only play at halfway

Play was suspended on Friday evening at the Open de France with a couple of groups still on the course.

They'll return in the morning to finish off their second rounds but none of them are in contention.

Nathan Kimsey, who's one of those yet to play 36 holes, has driven off on the 18^th hole but he sits in a tie for 30^th and eight off the lead and he's the closest player to the lead that's still to reach the midway point .

With course form figures reading 26-MC-MC-MC-27-MC, the pre-event 12/113.00 shot, Matt Fitzpatrick, didn't look like a great price before the off but after two bogey-free rounds of 65 and 64, he heads into the weekend with a one-stroke lead over my pre-event fancy, Jeff Winther.

Here's the 36-hole leaderboard with prices to back at 21:20.

Matt Fitzpatrick -13 2.466/4
Jeff Winther -12 7.87/1
Michael Kim -119.417/2
Ryan Gerard -10 8.415/2
Tom Vaillant -10 27.026/1
Thriston Lawrence -9 40.039/1
Gregorio De Leo -9 44.043/1
Angel Hidalgo -9 50.049/1
Marcel Siem -9 140.0139/1
Kristoffer Reitan -8 [28,0]
Viktor Hovland -7 34.033/1
-7 and 48.047/1 bar

Last year's edition, won by this year's first round leader, Michael Kim, was staged at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche while Le Golf National was being renovated and for the record, Kim sat ninth, trailing by five at this stage, but here's a list of the last 10 course winners (including the Olympics in 2024), detailing where they sat at the midway point.

2024 - Dan Bradbury - tied for the lead
2024 - Scottie Scheffler - 10^th, trailing by five
2023 - Ryo Hisatsune -third, trailing by five
2022 - Guido Migliozzi - 34^th, trailing by 13
2020 & '21 - Event cancelled
2019 - Nicolas Colsaerts - tied for the lead
2018 - Alex Noren -41^st, trailing by nine
2017 - Tommy Fleetwood -third, trailing by one
2016 - Thongchai Jaidee -tied for the lead
2015 - Bernd Wiesberger -ninth, trailing by two
2014 - Graeme McDowell - fourth, trailing by seven

As many as three of the last eight course winners were tied at the top at halfway but we've seen winners come from absolutely miles back in the last decade, so the stats aren't especially helpful, and clear 36-hole leaders have a poor record.

Marcel Siem, who's back in-the-mix again this year, is the only clear halfway leader to win here since John Bickerton 20 years ago.

Siem led by a stroke at this stage before taking the title 12 years ago, so this is a tough place to make the running, and Fitzpatrick makes no appeal at all at less than 6/42.50.

The world number four is clearly the man to beat but since getting off the mark on the DP World Tour at the Nordea Masters a decade ago, after he'd led by three at halfway, he's held a clear advantage in a 72-hole stroke play event seven times and he's only converted once, at The Heritage at Harbour Town in April, where he beat Scottie Scheffler in a playoff after he'd led by three at the midway stage.

It's quite tempting to lay the leader but that tactic backfired badly a few weeks ago when I took on Shane Lowry in-running and I'm not going to be around tomorrow to trade in-running so instead of laying the leader, I've just had a very small wager on the recent Omega European Masters winner, Thriston Lawrence.

Trailing by four, the South African looks a fair price at 42.041/1.

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