2026 Open de France: Matt Fitzpatrick grabs 36-hole lead
Matt Fitzpatrick eagled the par-5 14th hole at Le Golf National to help carry a one-shot lead over Jeff Winther heading into the weekend.
Ryan Gerard, a United States representative for the Presidents Cup this week, is currently in contention at the Open de France after a strong 6-under 65 performance on Friday. He is currently three shots behind the leader at the halfway point of the tournament. Matt Fitzpatrick, the world's top-ranked golfer No. 4, shot a flawless 64 on Friday, placing him 13 under and setting him up for a weekend showdown at Le Golf National outside Paris. Jeff Winther is one shot behind Fitzpatrick after posting a 64 in the second round.
Defending champion Michael Kim of the U.S. led after Round 1 but dropped out of the clubhouse at 3-under 68 after bogeying the final hole on Friday, dropping him to solo third place through 36 holes. Gerard's fellow Americans, Jeff Winther and Frenchman Tom Vaillant, are tied for fourth at 10 under. Gerard, who wasn't selected in U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker's 12-man roster for the upcoming Presidents Cup in Medinah, had been in contention at the BMW PGA Championship last month, leading by two shots after 36 holes before finishing tied for 27th.
Meanwhile, J.J. Spaun, another Snedeker snub, went on to win the FedEx Open de France hosted at Wentworth.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
