Every birdie at Le Golf National’s par-3 16th will now carry an unusual bonus, with FedEx funding ten trees for wildfire-affected regions of France.

There are usually only two things a player wants from a par three: find the putting surface and avoid whatever architectural cruelty has been arranged around it. At this year’s FedEx Open de France, the 16th at Le Golf National comes with a third consideration.

Every birdie made there during the four championship rounds will result in FedEx funding ten additional trees for planting in French regions affected by wildfires.

It is part of the tournament’s new Birdies for Good initiative, which extends the relationship between FedEx and the Arbor Day Foundation and gives one hole rather more consequence than the scorecard alone might suggest.

Before anybody reaches for a calculator in the grandstand, there is already a starting contribution. FedEx has committed funding for 500 trees to be planted this autumn on farmland at Noisy-le-Roi, near Versailles, returning to the location used for the tournament’s 2025 planting project.

The 16th now has another number to watch

The idea is straightforward enough.

From September 24-27, each birdie recorded on the par-3 16th during the 108th FedEx Open de France will add funding for ten trees. Those trees will be directed towards reforestation projects in wildfire-affected parts of France.

Golf has produced more complicated scoring systems than that before breakfast.

The mechanism also gives spectators another statistic to follow during a tournament already returning to familiar ground at Le Golf National after course renovations dating from 2024.

For FedEx, the programme brings its wider work with the Arbor Day Foundation into the tournament itself rather than leaving it somewhere beyond the ropes.

“Since 2014, FedEx has supported the Arbor Day Foundation through charitable grants and team member volunteering,” said April Britt, director of global citizenship at FedEx.

“Through the FedEx Open de France, we are proud to focus our support locally, funding 500 trees in Noisy-le-Roi and contributing to French wildfire restoration based on tournament play.”

Last year, the eagles did the work

There is some precedent here.

During the 2025 tournament, environmental contributions were also linked to scoring. On that occasion, 36 eagles made by competitors resulted in FedEx funding 1,400 trees in total.

This year the target has moved from an eagle tally across the tournament to birdies on one specific hole, making the link easier for spectators to follow as the championship develops.

Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation, said the new programme continues what began around Versailles last year.

“Last year’s tournament turned exceptional play into funding for 1,400 trees planted on farmland near Versailles,” said Lambe. “This year, we’re proud to build on that initiative and collaborate with FedEx to once again support tree planting near Versailles and in wildfire-affected regions of France.”

Championship director Victoria Watson also welcomed the direct connection between competition and the programme.

“We appreciate the continued collaboration between FedEx and the Arbor Day Foundation on this initiative,” she said. “The DP World Tour is pleased to see tournament competition directly linked to support for local French communities and landscapes.”

A strong French contingent awaits at Le Golf National

The environmental initiative will sit alongside a field with no shortage of reasons to keep the galleries occupied.

Julien Guerrier, Martin Couvra, Antoine Rozner, Romain Langasque and Victor Perez are among the French players carrying home interest, while Ryder Cup trio Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Åberg and Viktor Hovland add considerable weight to the field.

The championship itself dates to 1906, making it Continental Europe’s oldest national open, and became part of golf’s global Tour in 1972.

Its return to Le Golf National brings the tournament back to one of European golf’s most recognisable stages, with the renovated course hosting four days in which the 16th will suddenly have its own unofficial leaderboard.

Ten trees at a time

Golf sponsorship can occasionally involve enough language about purpose, legacy and impact to make a bunker rake sound inspirational.

This one has the virtue of being measurable.

FedEx begins with 500 trees at Noisy-le-Roi. Then the field takes over. One birdie at the 16th means another ten trees funded. Five means 50. Ten means 100.

The arithmetic will depend entirely on what happens between tee and cup.

And for once, running up a decent birdie count will leave something behind after the leaderboard has disappeared.