Fabrizio Zanotti leads the Open de France at the halfway stage.

Fabrizio Zanotti leads the Open de France after 36-holes, as he seeks his first victory on the European Tour. Zanotti, the 30-year-old from Paraguay, followed his round of 68 from Thursday, with another on Friday in the sunshine that adorned Le Golf National. The Paraguayan has finished second on three occasions on the Tour, with the most recent coming at the 2012 Irish Open. However, he hopes that he can convert his slender advantage into that maiden victory, as he takes a one-shot lead from Thomas Bjorn, Richard Sterne and Soren Kjeldson into Saturday.

“I’m very happy,” said Zanotti, reflecting on his round. “I struggled a little from the tee but I putted very well during the day and pretty happy with the round. It was pretty tough out there, and the course is playing very hard, so very happy.” 

He completed his front-nine in 33 strokes, before successfully navigating Le Golf National’s fearsome finish in level par: “I think it's a very good score, so I will try to keep playing like this and just have fun.”

He looked impeccably relaxed throughout his round, on a course that provides a strict test on all facets of your game; not leas the mental side. However, it has been a positive two days for Zanotti, in a season that has thus far been devoid of much positivity: “I haven’t played very well during the year, but I'm working very hard and I think this is because of all the work; I am always positive.” 

Zanotti came into this week ranked 131^st on the Race to Dubai. So a 36-hole performance of this calibre was not widely expected, particularly on one of the Tour’s most revered venues. He reflected on the challenges of playing through his difficult run of form:

“It's pretty tough to keep working when you are not playing good, but that is the way all the guys play good, so you have to keep working to get where you want.

“On a course like this, I think that you have to accept everything. It's playing very tough and the greens are getting hard, so it's going to be very hard. Like I said, keep patient and have fun - there is no other way.”

With overnight leader Anders Hansen falling away with a round of 78, it was up to his compatriots Thomas Bjorn and Soren Kjeldson to fly the Danish flag. The 42-year-old Bjorn, who is attempting to ensure of his qualification for The Open Championship through the Tour’s mini order of merit, had held the outright lead before dropped shots at the 8^th and 9^th to fall back to 5-under. A frustrating finish for the popular Dane, who many believe could be the European Ryder Cup captain when the biennial event is staged at Le Golf National in five years time.

However, much like Zanotti, Soren Kjeldson could only view his day in a positive manner, after a half-season that has lacked much in the way of genuine contention. The three-time winner on the European Tour reflected on his day and his relaxed approach to the weekend: “I haven't really been in contention in any tournaments this year, so this is a massive bonus,” he said.

“You're not going to get me to talk about winning and stuff like that, certainly not now. I'm just enjoying playing good golf, and hopefully I can keep going.”

Kjeldson may not be thinking of a potential victory, but former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell certainly is. The Northern Irishman has had a disappointing few weeks, missing his last four cuts, but he finds himself just two shots off the lead at 4-under as he prepares his game for Muirfield: "I'm playing this golf course the way it's supposed to be played - fairways and greens. Once you start hitting it off line it will punish you.

"I just have not got the putter revved up but I am well in touch and right where I need to be. It's been a rough couple of months for me. I've not been playing the kind of golf I'd like to and the key to this week was to come and get myself in the mix for the weekend and get some of the juices flowing again.

"I'm excited for the weekend and to make a cut really. It feels like a step in the right direction.

"I certainly know what to do when I put myself in these positions. I just have not had the opportunity to do it lately. I'm probably on one of my worst missed cut runs in a while. It's nice to break that, first and foremost, and be on the leaderboard."

McDowell is on the leaderboard, but dozens of players remain in contention. With the cut falling at three-over, the remaining field are separated by just nine shots. On a course of this nature, anything can happen over 36-holes.

In the sunshine of Paris, it’s going to be a weekend to savour.

Anders Hansen leads after the opening round of the Open de France.

Fairly overcast conditions welcomed the players onto Le Golf National on Thursday at the 97^th Open de France. The revered course, which is hosting the event for a 21^st occasion, was presented in immaculate condition. With just enough breeze to keep the test reasonably stern for the best players on the European Tour, there was a significant variation in scoring, which is natural on a course with such severe penalties. However, birdies were possible, and it was Anders Hansen who profited the best of the field at the end of this opening round.

Hansen, the 42-year-old from Denmark, defied a troublesome hand injury to post an opening round of 66. Starting at the 10^th, he played his opening seven holes in four-under, with a second-nine of 35 completing an opening five-under round. The two-time winner of the BMW PGA Championship reflected on his day’s work and the challenges of the Le Golf National layout, that will host the Ryder Cup in 2018:

“I'm telling you, it's a great venue for The Ryder Cup,” Hansen said. “The course is set up perfect for it. The spectators get such a good view and it's such a great finish to the round - I think it's going to be a great venue.

“It is a tough course - the greens are pretty firm and it's tight out there. There's hardly any wind, and you see the scores aren't that great.

“I played actually really solid from tee to green - I think I only missed two or three greens. I putted quite well, so just sort of all came together. At some stage it seemed a bit easy, but this course gets your attention and next thing you know, you're making bogeys.”

Hansen hasn’t won since 2009 in South Africa at the Joburg Open, and he will be travelling to Zurich on Tuesday for an operation to remove a cyst from his hand. It’s an operation that will likely end his season, and a victory in France would be the perfect tonic during his recovery. Hansen reflected on the necessity of the operation:

“I'm having my operation on Tuesday, so I'm looking forward to get that out of the way and hopefully be ready for the end of the season. It's not far away, so I'm looking forward to get that done.

“I've had it for years and years and years - they are going in three different places and they are going to remove a cyst I have here and clean this up and hopefully there's a 50/50 chance it's going to be okay. The other thing is to take the whole bone out and cut it a bit, but that's a big operation and I would be out for six months, so we are hoping to do that and it's going to be good enough. It’s just wear and tear from hitting too many golf balls.”

The old adage “beware of the injured” golfer may be appropriate for the remainder of the week. However, a home favourite is right behind the Dane. Romain Wattel, the 22-year-old from Montpellier, thrilled the French fans after an opening round of 67 has him just one back of the lead.

Wattel, who will be hoping to become the eighth French winner of the event, looked back at the experience of playing in front of a passionate home crowd:

“You are in front of the French crowds, so you want to be good, you want to play great golf and so there is pressure on me,” said Wattel, who is ranked 75^th on the Race to Dubai.

“I'm trying to play my best and just focus on the shot I have to play - that's the only thing I can do.”

An impressive group is at 3-under, and it includes Thomas Bjorn, who has finished second in two of his last three starts, and the 2009 champion Martin Kaymer. Bjorn required another good week to ensure of his participation in the 142^nd Open Championship, which is now just two weeks away. At the end of the Open de France, the top five ranked players on the Race to Dubai, who are not already in the field at Muirfield, will earn a place into golf’s greatest championship. Bjorn is currently fifth on the projected list, so he has another goal to strive for this week, in addition to the prestigious title on offer.

Former world number one Luke Donald remains in touch, after an opening round of 71, despite a triple-bogey on the 18^th. Fellow Ryder Cup hero, Ian Poulter struggled to a 73, and will need an improvement on that tomorrow if he wishes to make the cut. Graeme McDowell was the best of the three after posting 69 and is just three shots off the lead, while American Matt Kuchar is at 1-under.

A compelling days play in the outskirts of Paris. For some, the French capital is the City of Love, while the French like to refer to it as the City of Light. Today, the light shone down upon Anders Hansen, and it will be fascinating to see where this 97^th Open de France stands at the halfway mark.