This week features one of the standout events on the entire DP World Tour calendar, with the 2026 Open de France taking place at Le Golf National. Multiple quality golfers will fight for the title, but what are the best value bets?
I explore the course and share my squad based on my Open de France predictions. Before I share my venue analysis, here’s an overview of my picks.
2026 Open de France Winner Best Bets
| Player | Odds to Win |
|---|---|
| Marcus Armitage | +10000 |
| Angel Ayora | +4000 |
| Andy Sullivan | +5500 |
| Gregorio De Leo | +10000 |
Open de France Course Analysis
This is a course steeped in history, and across the 7,365-yard par 71, we can expect a seriously demanding week of golf, but also plenty of drama throughout. It’s a course I always enjoy dissecting because there are so many different ways to get yourself into trouble around here! I think there are some really interesting course fits at the prices this week.
We’ll start with the overall picture of the course, because when you break it down, this is a long golf course, but that doesn’t mean you can simply overpower it. In fact, I think accuracy and position off the tee are just as important as distance, because you need to be in the right position to properly attack the greens.
There are plenty of holes where you can hit driver and gain some extra yards, but if you end up in the wrong part of the fairway, or even slightly out of position, you can make life incredibly difficult for yourself.
This is a golf course where good course management is rewarded, and I want players who are comfortable picking their spots rather than simply trying to overpower the layout, especially with this season’s changes.
When we break down the ideal attributes for this course, I want players who are reliable off the tee, but more importantly, players who can control where they are putting the ball. From there, I’m looking for really good, controlled iron players.
The approach play is going to be absolutely key this week, particularly for those who can flight the ball, control their distances and consistently give themselves birdie opportunities without having to attack every flag.
The greens are big enough to give you some room, but you need to be able to put yourself in the right areas of them, and that makes distance control incredibly important.
I also think current form is a big factor this week. With a course this demanding, I don’t want to be relying on a player suddenly finding something with their game. I want players who are already striking the ball well and showing signs that their game is in a good place.
If you can combine that with good positioning off the tee and controlled iron play, then I think you have the foundations of a very strong week here, and that’s the basis of my squad this week.
There is also plenty of water around Le Golf National, with trouble waiting for the overly aggressive players, so this really isn’t a course where you can just bomb your way around and hope for the best.
You need to know when to attack and when to take your medicine. Over four days, I think the players who manage their game best will give themselves the best chance of being there come Sunday.
At the top end of the market this week, we’ve got a really interesting field, but I’m not convinced there is much value in the shorter prices. There are plenty of players who have obvious claims, but I think this is the type of tournament where we can look a little further down the market and find players who have the right combination of course fit, current form and a nice bit of value too.
There are some seriously good course fits in the field, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they get on around Le Golf National, but hopefully one of my four-man squad can come out on top. As always, gamble responsibly, and don’t forget to sign up free here at The Sports Geek.
1. Marcus Armitage (+10000)
My standout selection for this week is Marcus Armitage at a whopping 100/1. I think he could be one of the players who go completely under the radar at this golf course, mainly because his previous record here has been a bit of a mixed bag.
However, I think he is one of the best course fits this week amongst a fair handful of players. Armitage is also the player who has really been catching my eye over the last few weeks. He looks so close to being completely dialled in. Off the tee, he is more reliable than what the visuals of his golf swing would suggest, but it’s his irons that I really like for this course.
If you watch Marcus Armitage play, he is very much a three-quarter follow through player with his irons, and that gives him a lot of control in the approach department. Of course, accuracy is important, but I think distance control is even more important here, and that’s the angle I’m taking. With the greens being fairly wide, if you have that level of distance control, you are going to hit a ton of greens, and that’s of major importance this week.
This is vital for Marcus Armitage’s chances this week. If you watch his game, you can see that he is deadly with a putter and has the ability to shoot some seriously low numbers.
We have actually seen that at this course before. The course record is 62, and Marcus shot 64 here last season, which looked like it could have been even lower. He wasn’t in the best form coming into this event last season, but he is in much better form now. The fact that he is now striking the ball so well suggests to me that he could be in for a huge week in France.
His price is based on his previous record here. However, I feel like there is something clicking in his game right now, and 100/1 is far too big. He has gone way under the radar, and now that he is playing well, I think he becomes a tremendously good course fit.
The perfect sort of iron control, a very good putter, he comes into this in form, he has some good low rounds here, and you can get triple figures in places about his chances. Take a chance on him this week, I think he is a really good value bet.
2. Angel Ayora (+4000)
I have been quite quick to criticise Angel Ayora this season, and I do think there is good reason for it. However, this week, he has made the squad based on his price of 40/1, which has made him very backable.
His golf swing is incredible, and he can do most things. What I haven’t liked about his game so far though is his lack of ruthlessness. Yes, he can score low, and he has shown that multiple times this season. However, he hasn’t been the best finisher and hasn’t made the most of being in good positions in tournaments just yet. That is a huge worry for me, long term.
The reason is that he looks full of talent everywhere through the bag, but that is only one part of the game he seems to be missing. You need that mental aspect, and that real competitive edge in you, to actually go on and win tournaments, in my opinion.
I do feel he is lacking that a touch. He will win on tour soon, and hopefully it’s this week, but I definitely feel he won’t win as many as he should because of that mental aspect.
For all that negativity though, his price for what is on offer is actually pretty big. I thought he would still be around the 25/1, 33/1 mark maybe. For all the negatives I have stated there, he is very consistent and finishes quite high up the leaderboard based on his raw class.
He just needs that little extra to get him over the line. There is plenty of time for it too, it’s just a case of catching him right, and my negatives with him only come because of how good he can potentially be.
The golf course here at Le Golf National is actually one that could suit him nicely. He has to play conservative to a degree off the tee, and then basically go green hunting rather than flag hunting. Now, I think that mindset means he will hit a lot of greens this week because of his iron consistency, and ultimately he will give himself a ton of birdie putts across the week.
So, although he has a few frailties at this point in his career, his price is hard to ignore because he is a seriously talented player who will have to play within himself, and I like that with him. He really shouldn’t be too far away this week.
3. Andy Sullivan (+5500)
For those that have had a deep dive into the game of Andy Sullivan, he will obviously rank high in estimations here, with a lot to like at this course.
Andy Sullivan has actually played here ten times, and seven of those have ended with top-30 finishes. Now, I’m not trying to tell you something you don’t know, as that’s obvious, however, it’s not just Le Golf National that suits his game.
The courses he has played well at are generally one of two things. Either a ball-striker’s golf course, or a course where accuracy off the tee and green-finding from the fairway are the main attributes. And that’s why he has been so consistent at this course.
His driving off the tee is just what I’d call fine, and I’d expect him to keep the ball in play enough here, but it’s those iron shots that we have seen all season from Andy Sullivan that really catch my eye.
This has actually kept him competitive this year, and he is playing some of the better golf of his career right now. Sullivan comes here after a top 10 at Wentworth, which is obviously encouraging, and this course actually suits him much better. There is plenty to like about him here.
He is a player you don’t want to back when he is out of form, because it takes a while to click for him. However, when he plays well, he can easily get involved at venues like this. He has been in the top 10 for greens in regulation at this course on four occasions. Now could be his time to get back amongst the winners.
4. Gregorio De Leo (+10000)
I think Gregorio De Leo is a really talented player that the bookies haven’t quite latched on to yet. To win on the DP World Tour in fields like this, you need to be of a certain caliber, and I think he has all the skills required.
In fact, he has the game to score well at most courses, but Le Golf National looks ideal for his attributes, so I’ll take my chance that there’s another big week on the cards for him.
De Leo is a player who combines plenty of length, a good short game, the ability to shape it both ways, and he also looks like he has a bit of grit between the teeth too. These are exactly the types of players I like backing at these prices. He has it all on paper for the most part, the bookies just haven’t cottoned on yet.
Let’s take a look at his game and his form this season. Off the tee, he is long without being a bomber. His average length of around 320 yards is plenty around this course, especially when you are accurate with it too, like De Leo.
He is a real hidden gem in this field. I think he is a superb ball striker, and you absolutely must be that for this tournament. You will find players really struggle if they aren’t pureeing the ball here.
Then, with his irons, he has been very impressive all season long. He is particularly impressive with his mid to long irons, and this has actually transformed his game this season, making him much more consistent week in, week out.
To highlight some of those finishes, he was tied 4th in Austria, tied 8th in the Soudal, tied 7th in Turkey, and even comes into this event off the back of a tied 5th in the Irish Open, which is strong form.
The fact that he was able to transfer his game to links golf was also deeply impressive. And there is another reason I like him. He shot a 63 in his final round of the Irish Open, and he also shot a 63 in the tournament before that. That shows he can really go deep when he gets it going, which is exactly what you need if you are going to win a tournament like this.
All of these performances are what have helped him climb from outside the world top 500 all the way up to world number 222. This isn’t the ceiling though, I think there is more to come from him. Considering the attributes he has match up with this golf course so well, the 100/1 seems like a ludicrous price. The bookies are missing one here.
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