Steve Palmer's French Open predictions and free golf betting tips

When to bet

By 6.50am on Thursday

Where to watch the French Open

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 12.30pm Thursday

Steve Palmer's French Open predictions

Antoine Rozner
3pts each-way 40-1 bet365

Alexander Bjork
3pts each-way 20-1 bet365

Ewen Ferguson
1pt each-way 70-1 Hills

Darius van Driel
0.5pt each-way 300-1 Hills

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Robert MacIntyre is the only member of the European Ryder Cup team who is using the French Open as a final warm-up for next week's clash with the United States. MacIntyre, 45th in the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday, seems eager to find some form before his Cup debut.

Tom Kim and Min Woo Lee have made the relatively short journey from Wentworth to France, but both are making their Le Golf National debut. Lee, a master in the wind, will be unfazed by the weather forecast for the first two rounds, but this is a tough introduction to a dangerous layout for the top two in the betting.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Antoine Rozner 40-1

Bookmakers are showing Antoine Rozner little respect in the wake of missed cuts in the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, but the Frenchman looks great value to bounce back by contending in his national Open.

There was no disgrace in finishing level par for 36 holes at Wentworth, missing the cut by a shot, and Rozner has been generally impressive over the last two months. He came through final qualifying for the Open Championship, then finished 20th at Royal Liverpool, then he was 22nd in the Czech Masters and 24th at Crans-sur-Sierre.

The 30-year-old Parisian could easily get back among the birdies close to home. Le Golf National is a fantastic fit. This superb ball-striker, accurate from tee to green, had to wait patiently for his crack at the French Open because of Covid cancellations and it finally came last year. He opened up with rounds of 69, 66 and 69, dropping to 11th place on the Sunday.

Three months after that eyecatching Le Golf National debut, Rozner won his third DP World Tour title – a five-shot romp in the Mauritius Open. He is one of the best players on this circuit and can give the locals plenty to cheer over the coming days.

Next best bet

Alexander Bjork 20-1

With so many each-way options available these days, the consistency of Alexander Bjork is a potent weapon for punters. The tidy Swede has posted eight top-tens this year, twice finishing runner-up. He was beaten by a shot in the Ras al Khaimah Championship in February, then was two shots shy of Ludvig Aberg in the European Masters earlier this month, suffering a gutbusting penalty in round three for mistakenly preferring his lie.

Bjork was 18th at Wentworth last week and Le Golf National is another test of accuracy which he should enjoy. His iron-play is typically excellent, so he can handle the tough approaches at the French Open, in which he finished third on his debut in 2017. He was a Tour maiden ranked 154th in the world at the time.

Bjork was eighth in the 2018 French Open and 20th last year – he has never finished outside the top 20 at Le Golf National – and his lone Challenge Tour victory came in France in the 2016 Le Vaudreuil Challenge. An overdue second DPWT title could be coming on Sunday.

Other selections

Ewen Ferguson 70-1
Darius van Driel 300-1

Sweet-swinging Scot Ewen Ferguson has been playing well lately without getting much from his rounds, suffering on the greens. His accuracy from tee to green may be enough to get into contention on a layout as difficult as Le Golf National, especially given the early weather forecast.

Ferguson, 27 and still improving, won twice last year and has had three top-four finishes this year, most recently when fourth in the British Masters in July. In his last six regulation DPWT events, he has carded nothing worse than a 73 (a total of 20 rounds), but he has not been going low. Given five of the last ten French Opens have been won by single digits under par, the solid long game can get him into the mix. There was no disgrace in a pair of 72s to miss the cut on the mark at Wentworth.

Complete a four-pronged attack with Darius van Driel, who is extremely accurate off the tee. The 34-year-old Dutchman is always to be considered on layouts which put a premium on precision, underlined by his performances this year in the Kenya Open (11th place), Soudal Open (22nd), Scandinavian Mixed (21st) and last week in stellar company in the BMW PGA (36th).

Van Driel finished runner-up in the 2019 Belgian Knockout at the tight, tree-lined layout which has become Soudal Open host. He won in France on the Alps Tour in 2015 and has since won twice on the Challenge Tour.

Le Golf National course guide

Course Le Golf National, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
Prize money $3.25m ($541,450 to the winner)
Length 7,247 yards
Par 71 - three par-fives; 11 par-fours; four par-threes
Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Tom Kim (18), Ryan Fox (31), Min Woo Lee (45), Billy Horschel (49), Robert MacIntyre (55)
Course records - 72 holes 268 Guido Migliozzi (2022) 18 holes 62 Eduardo Romero (2005), Rasmus Hojgaard (2022), Guido Migliozzi (2022)

Course winners taking part Graeme Storm, Marcel Siem, Nicolas Colsaerts, Guido Migliozzi

When to bet By 6.50am on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 12.30pm Thursday

Time difference France is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland

Last week – BMW PGA Championship 1 R Fox (45-1), T2 T Hatton (20-1), A Rai (40-1), 4 J Rahm (8-1), 5 V Hovland (7-1), 6 T Fleetwood (14-1), T7 R McIlroy (15-2), A Scott (45-1), C Shinkwin (500-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview Le Golf National is one of Europe's finest courses and it usually provides a stern test. The event used to be contested in the first week of July, but switched to autumn in 2019. The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to Covid. The course first hosted the French Open in 1991. It has been the venue since 2002. It staged the Ryder Cup in 2018. The fairways are severely undulating, so precise tee-shots are required to keep balls on the cut and prepared. The rough is typically lush and penal, and several water hazards are lurking to punish the errant. The greens are large and pacy, with plenty of sharp slopes. Five of the last ten champions topped the final leaderboard with a single-digit-under-par total

Story of last year A fast-finishing Guido Migliozzi fired a spectacular Sunday 62 to pip long-time leader Rasmus Hojgaard by a shot

Weather forecast Heavy rain and moderate breezes are forecast for a terrible first day. Lighter rain Friday, but the breeze remains. Sunnier and calmer at the weekend, temperatures peaking at 20C

Type of player suited to the challenge Le Golf National is a tough track, demanding accuracy from tee to green, as the penalty for wide shots is often a watery grave. Support straight hitters

Key attribute Accuracy