Andy DevaneyThe 2026 FedEx Open de France has acquired rather more edge than a routine title defence.
Michael Kim will return to Le Golf National from 24-27 September with Cameron Smith and Ryan Gerard newly added to a field that already contains Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Åberg and Viktor Hovland. For a tournament with 120 years of history, it is not short of present-tense appeal.
Michael Kim’s Open de France title defence carries extra weight
Kim’s victory here last year carried rather more significance than the one-shot margin suggested.
Making his first appearance in the event, the American holed the putt he needed at the 18th to become the first player from the United States to win France’s national open since Barry Jaeckel in 1972.
It also ended a lengthy personal drought. Kim’s previous worldwide victory had come at the 2018 John Deere Classic, more than seven years earlier.
“I’m excited to be coming back to defend my title at this year’s FedEx Open de France,” said Kim. “I have amazing memories from last year, and to claim the title really was a dream come true. Hopefully we can make this year a special one too.”
Defending champions are regularly invited to rediscover old magic, as though golf were courteous enough to leave it in the same locker. Kim at least knows he can close the deal here. Doing it twice is another matter.
Cameron Smith makes his FedEx Open de France debut
Smith’s presence gives the week an obvious extra pull.
The 2022 Open champion will make his FedEx Open de France debut in what will be his third DP World Tour appearance outside the Majors this season.
There has been enough recent evidence to suggest his trip to the outskirts of Paris is more than ceremonial. Smith finished runner-up at the Crown Australian Open last December and shared seventh at the U.S. PGA Championship in May.
“I’m looking forward to teeing it up in France for the first time. It’s going to be a great test, and a really strong field,” said Smith, a six-time PGA Tour winner. “This event has so much history and I’m excited to be part of it.”
That history may appeal. The more immediate attraction is a field giving him plenty to measure himself against.
Ryan Gerard arrives at a career-high world ranking
Gerard lacks Smith’s major title but brings the sharpest run of current form among the three.
The 27-year-old won the 2025 Barracuda Championship and has since accumulated three runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, plus a solo third at the Tour Championship. The sequence has carried him to a career-high 21st in the world.
France now offers a chance to turn sustained contention into a second DP World Tour victory.
“I’m excited to be heading to France later this month, and playing in such an historic event,” said Gerard. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about the course, so can’t wait to experience it for myself. Hopefully we can play some great golf and put on a show for the fans.”
His debut comes at a convenient moment. Few golfers object to arriving somewhere new while playing the best golf of their career.
Le Golf National returns after renovation work
The FedEx Open de France returns to Le Golf National following renovation work carried out since 2024, introducing another variable into a week already mixing returning champions with tournament debutants.
The event itself dates to 1906, making it Continental Europe’s oldest national open, and this year’s tournament will be its 108th edition.
Fleetwood, Åberg and Hovland bring Ryder Cup pedigree to the field, while Kristoffer Reitan and Bud Cauley add further international depth.
The result is a field with considerably more texture than a collection of familiar names arranged around a defending champion. Kim has history here. Gerard has momentum. Smith has the major pedigree.
France has plenty of its own reasons for optimism
Matthieu Pavon leads a substantial home presence alongside Julien Guerrier, Martin Couvra, Antoine Rozner, Romain Langasque and Victor Perez.
Home advantage in golf remains an unreliable currency, but six recognised French names at least gives the galleries several reasons to postpone lunch.
General admission and premium hospitality tickets remain available, while the Le Club House experience has already sold out across the weekend.
For Kim, the task is unusually neat. Twelve months ago, Le Golf National provided the putt that ended a wait stretching back more than seven years and placed him in a piece of tournament history dating to 1972.
He returns with the trophy. Smith arrives with the major championship. Gerard brings the form.
France’s oldest national open can supply the history. Someone still has to write the next line.
Secure your place at one of the DP World Tour’s most prestigious events here.
