Backstrom sets early pace in France
Sweden’s Joakim Backstrom, whose only European Tour victory came in France, found himself leading the French Open early in the first round.
The 28-year-old won last year’s Aa St Omer Open, a co-sanctioned event with the Challenge Tour, and he began the €4m event at Le Golf National in impressive style.
Backstrom had four birdies in his first five holes to race ahead of the field.
When he picked up another at the 208-yard eighth the Swede, whose highest finish this season is joint 15th – his only top-35 placing – went to five-under and two clear of Frenchman Gregory Bourdy.
Bourdy, playing four groups ahead of Backstrom, had a run of three birdies from the second to go out in a three-under-par 33.
England’s David Carter joined the pack on three-under after an outward nine of 33 which included birdies at the third, fourth, sixth and seventh, with only a bogey at the 450-yard seventh spoiling his run.
And former Masters and Open champion Sandy Lyle rolled back the years as he too reached three-under through 10 holes after a poor start.
The 48-year-old, starting at the 10th, bogeyed the 191-yard 11th but then had three birdies in five holes before another at the par-four first lifted him into contention.
Backstrom extended his lead with another birdie at the 596-yard ninth to turn in 30, while Bourdy slipped to one under with a double-bogey six at the 443-yard 12th.
At the same time Lyle also dropped a shot, bogeying the short second, to fall back alongside defending champion Jean-Francois Remesy – looking for his third successive victory at this tournament – and 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell, both having played seven holes.
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