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.