Jesper Svensson (-6), Thorbjorn Olesen (-6) and Joe Dean (-6) lead the Open de France after the first round. Once again, Dean is at the top, this English rookie on the European circuit, who has made a rather late breakthrough at the age of 30 in high-level golf, has taken a liking to the hot zone of the leaderboard in 2024 and is determined to claim his first title. All credit to him.
However, attention must be turned to the lanky figure and youthful face of amateur Lev Grinberg (-5), the 16-year-old Ukrainian residing in Belgium, who has had the luxury of signing a 66 on the Albatros course at Golf National, which was not exactly set up for many displays. It’s true that the greens were forgiving, very soft with the huge amount of water that fell yesterday and appeared again today, but on the other hand, the course was very long and the rough, in certain areas, literally swallowed the balls. It’s true that many drops without penalty were given, as players found their balls embedded, but it’s also true that many other balls couldn’t be found…
This is the second major wake-up call from Grinberg. The first, more than two years ago, at just 14, caused even greater astonishment, of course, as he comfortably and naturally made the cut at the Soudal Open in 2022. Since then, truth be told, and until today, Grinberg missed the cut by a lot in the three professional tournaments he played and has only won two minor amateur tournaments (he is ranked 182nd in the world amateur rankings), although this summer he has put in good performances at the US Junior Amateur (9th) and the British Amateur (9th). He thrives on big stages. For example, today. It required excellent play today to sign such a card at Golf National, and he did it. At this stage of his journey, little or nothing can (or should) be predicted, but there is no doubt that these kinds of wake-up calls are more than just a hint of what might happen. For now, he has already secured an excellent opportunity to make his second cut in a professional tournament at the tender age of 16… Let’s see if he indeed makes it and, if so, if he improves on the weekend of that Soudal Open in 2022, where he finished with rounds of 76 and 74, in 64th position.
Jorge Campillo (-3) continues his relentless and incessant climb since returning from the American adventure. He has set his sights on playing the Dubai Final, and with cards like today’s (68 strokes), he will achieve it without problems. Manu Elvira (-3), on the other hand, needs a final push to secure his playing rights in 2025, and today he has taken an interesting step. They are the two best Spaniards on the leaderboard. In fact, they are the only two who have beaten the course today.
