1. Graeme McDowell's limited schedule this season has proved to be very beneficial, as he has recorded three wins (two European Tour and one PGA Tour) this season. In his last eight worldwide events, he's either missed the cut (5 MCs) or won. He'll be one of the favorites at the Open Championship (June 18-21).
2. Following the Open de France, five players from the top-20 of the Race to Dubai became eligible for the Open Championship. Richard Sterne (Race to Dubai ranking: 4th) finished second behind McDowell in France and has made a tremendous jump in the world rankings, moving to 56th after starting the season outside the top-150. He's already won this season at the Joburg Open. Brett Rumford (6th) won back-to-back events at the Ballantine's Championship and the Volvo China Open earlier this season, which were his first wins since 2007. Mikko Ilonen (8th) won the Nordea Masters, a much-deserved win after showing consistent form leading up to that point. Thomas Bjorn (13th) has had four top-10 finishes in his last five starts and has begun to return to the form that saw him win three tournaments in 2011. Marc Warren (17th) has had his fair share of tough finishes in the past year, most notably the Scottish and Spanish Opens, and losing in a playoff at the BMW PGA Championship. However, these results have shown that he's been playing well enough to win, but just hasn't been able to get over the finish line.
3. Two players who have been very disappointing this season picked up their first top-10s of the season: Simon Dyson (5th) and Richard Green (tied-6th). It was Dyson's first top-10 since last year's Irish Open and Green's first top-10 since the 2011 Irish Open (Dyson beat Green by a shot that year to claim the title). In terms of keeping cards, these two players made a nice move towards guaranteeing their playing rights for next season. However, both players have been in the world's top-50 for the majority of the last three or four seasons, so their objectives should be to try to build off this week and continue moving up in the world rankings.
4. Le Golf National once again proved that it will be a worthy venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup. The players view it as one of the best courses on the schedule. The closing stretch of holes 15-18 might be the toughest closing stretch in world golf, which should make for quite a thrilling spectacle in 2018. In addition, the amphitheater surrounding those holes should help add to the drama that is the Ryder Cup.
5. Out of the 22 French players in the field, only five made the cut. Victor Dubuisson was the highest-placed at tied-18th. France is producing many young players via the Challenge Tour or Alps Tour (third-tier developmental tour). Dubuisson, Romain Wattel, Julien Quesne, Alexander Levy, Alexandre Kaleka, Gary Stal, Francois Calmels, and Julien Brun (still an amateur) are the future of French golf. Raphael Jacquelin, Gregory Bourdy, Thomas Levet, and Gregory Havret have been flying the flag for French golf in recent seasons, and I expect them to continue to lead the charge. But, come 2018, French golfers will be rivaling their English counterparts for top dogs in European golf.
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