Staff WriterThe FedEx Open de France has a familiar look at the top of the leaderboard: Brooks Koepka and Min Woo Lee, two players who know a thing or two about thriving under pressure, will carry a one-shot cushion into Sunday’s final round at Le Golf National.
Koepka, a man with five Majors and the sort of stare that makes putters quiver, carded a sizzling six-under 65 to reach 11 under par. Lee, the 26-year-old Australian who plays with the flair of a man who thinks golf should be as fun as it looks on Instagram, joined him with a steady three-under 68.
The pair sit one ahead of England’s Marcus Armitage, American Michael Kim, and 2022 champion Guido Migliozzi, all lurking on ten under.
Koepka lights the back nine on fire
For much of the front nine, Koepka’s round had the energy of a French lunch—pleasant, but unhurried. Three birdies and a bogey had him ticking along at 34. Then came the turn, and suddenly the American started behaving like he’d been goosed with a baguette.
It all started at the par-four 13th, where Koepka rolled in a ten-footer that sparked a barrage of birdies. He made light work of the beastly 14th, statistically the toughest hole on the course, before sinking putts from 14, seven and three feet to make it five birdies in a row.
A missed green at the last cost him one, but the damage had been done: a 65 and a share of the lead.
“I feel like my game has been trending in the right direction,” Koepka said afterwards. “It’s the results [that] haven’t been there. I feel a lot closer.
I’m pleased with the work I’ve put in over the last few months, and nothing has shown, so hopefully got a chance to win tomorrow. “I’ve felt very uncomfortable over the putts pretty much all year. Just been a little bit of hand position.
We’ve got it sorted now where I feel like I’m striking the putts very well, hitting them on line and feeling confident. And that’s honestly half the battle.”
Lee hangs tough, again
Min Woo Lee, meanwhile, played the part of the patient counterpuncher. His round had the ups and downs of a Paris metro map—five birdies offset by two bogeys—but he never wavered.
Back-to-back gains at the fifth and sixth, plus a 13th-hole birdie, had him at 12 under before a slip at 15 dropped him back.
“Again, just pretty solid. Didn’t do anything spectacular in the back nine. Just hung in there,” Lee said. “That’s the one thing I’ve learned throughout my time as a professional.
You’ve just got to keep hitting shots and keep mentally strong. But it’s not done till the end, and you’ve just got to keep going. Every shot matters.”
It marks the fifth time Lee has held a share of the 54-hole lead on the DP World Tour. If experience is a teacher, then he’s due for a graduate-level performance on Sunday.
The chasers: hungry and close
Italy’s Guido Migliozzi, already a winner here in 2022, finds himself just one back. “It was a good day. I played solid from tee-to-green. I left a few putts there, but I’m very pleased on how I’m playing and just enjoying the day,” Migliozzi said, with a smile that widened when the topic turned to cuisine. “I like the courses. I like the atmosphere. And it’s good food as well. I still prefer Italian food, but French food as well, it’s very nice.”
Armitage, who briefly led before faltering on the back nine, wasn’t about to sulk. “About 50 per cent of what I can do out there today. I’ve still got a shot going into tomorrow,” he said. “I’m a quality player. I’ve got to keep reminding myself of that. And there’s a reason I’m still there now.”
Michael Kim, quietly efficient all week, is tied with them at ten under.
Further down, Australia’s Elvis Smylie and France’s Jeong weon Ko sit at nine under, while Sweden’s Simon Forsström provided one of the day’s highlights with a hole-in-one at the par-three seventh.
It was the third ace of the week and added another 150 trees to the tournament’s “Eagles for Good” campaign.
What’s at stake
Sunday promises a showdown worthy of Continental Europe’s oldest national championship. Koepka is chasing his first FedEx Open de France title, Lee is desperate to turn another 54-hole share into silverware, and Migliozzi wants to prove lightning can strike twice at Le Golf National.
History, prize money, and a handsome trophy are on the line—but make no mistake, the bragging rights are just as valuable. In a field this tight, it might come down to who keeps their head on the greens.
And if it’s Koepka’s putter versus Lee’s flair, we might just get the kind of finish that makes the FedEx Open de France the jewel of late-September golf.
