European Challenge Tour leader on home turf

REMEMBER THE NAME - FRENCH AMATEUR BECHU
IS A YOUNG MAN ON HIS WAY TO THE TOP
By RODDY WILLIAMS
Press Officer
French amateur Romain Bechu lived up to his billing as one of European golf’s most exciting talents as he delighted the home crowd by racing into the lead of the Challenge Tour's Open A.G.F Allianz Côtes D’Armor Bretagne.
Bechu, who celebrated his 22nd birthday three days ago, flew out of the blocks with five birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes, reaching the turn at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André in a staggering 28 strokes which incredibly included taking a penalty drop on the eighth where he bogeyed.
The fireworks ran out on the back nine, with the 14th in particular proving a “nightmare” for the young man from Biarritz as he needed another penalty drop from bushes on his way to a double bogey 6. But he regrouped with birdies on the 16th and 17th to complete an impressive seven under par 63 for a one stroke lead over former Ryder Cup player Peter Baker.
Bechu has emerged this year from three years of illness to become a force to be reckoned with, having won the French Amateur Championship in May before adding the Brabazon Trophy (the English Amateur Stroke Play Championship), to his CV when he finished joint winner with England’s Jamie Moul.
Bechu also claimed the silver medal as part of the French team in the European Amateur Championship.
“I made only ten putts on the front nine,” said the delighted Bechu after his round.
His goal, having progressed through the European Tour Qualifying School First Stage, is to get his European Tour card and if he continues to play as he has this year he has every chance of making his dream become reality.
Baker is another player chasing the dream of a European Tour card as he looks to regain his card through the Challenge Tour. The former European Tour champion and Ryder Cup player and assistant to Ian Woosnam last September at The K Club needs a strong finish in the four remaining events of the Challenge Tour season to get back on The European Tour.
Currently 23rd on the Rankings where the top 20 win promotion to The European Tour, Baker admitted he was in the “boiling pot” but is confident his game will carry him over the line.
Baker got his round off to an ideal start with two birdies on the tenth and 11th and then chipped in on the 14th. Birdies on the 16th, where he holed from 30 feet and the 17th, converting from 12 feet, took him out in 31. A back nine of 33 followed to leave him one shot off the lead.
“I played well and putted particularly well,” he said. “That was the difference today as I took my chances out there.
“We have four tournaments left including this one and I am in the boiling pot in 23rd place on the Rankings. I am looking forward to the run in. I have been playing well for a while and I just need to keep putting well. I am just going to play my own game and if I play well I should be okay.”
Fellow Englishman Sam Osbourne lies on four under par 66 in a share of third place with in-form Swede Leif Westerberg, winner of the Kazakhstan Open a fortnight ago and a player assured of is European Tour card as he currently lies third on the Challenge Tour Rankings.
ALL THE FIRST ROUND SCORES
Par 70
63 Romain Bechu (Am) (Fra).
64 Peter Baker (Eng).
66 Leif Westerberg (Swe), Sam Osborne (Eng)
67 Richard Kilpatrick (NIr), Gustavo Rojas (Arg), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Martin Maritz (RSA), Andrew Oldcorn (Sco).
68 Stuart Manley (Wal), Olivier David (Fra), Jean-Dominique Savidan (Fra), Frédéric Cupillard (Fra), David Dixon (Eng), Wilhelm Schauman (Swe), Jamie Donaldson (Wal), Chris Gane (Eng), Raymond Russell (Sco), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Gareth Wright (Wal), Victor Riu (Fra)
69 François Delamontagne (Fra), Simon Lilly (Eng), François Calmels (Fra), Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel), Paul Dwyer (Eng), Stephen Browne (Irl), Damien Perrier (Am) (Fra)
70 Julien Foret (Fra), David Horsey (Eng), Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Jeremy Kirkland (Fra), Nicolas Joakimides (Fra), Jean-Charles Thoreux (Fra), Stuart Davis (Eng), Gary Clark (Eng), Steve Alker (Nzl), Michael Hill (Fra), Richie Ramsay (Sco), Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Tim Milford (Eng), Matthew Cort (Eng), Kasper Linnet Jorgensen (Den)
71 Ross Mcgowan (Eng), Paul Nilbrink (Nor), Jamie Little (Eng), Pontus Ericsson (Swe), Daniel Sugrue (Irl), Eric Moreul (Fra), Nicolas Allain (Fra), Gustavo Acosta (Arg), Julien Xanthopoulos (Fra), Johan Sköld (Swe)
72 David Patrick (Sco), Marc Farry (Fra), Shaun P Webster (Eng), Dennis Küpper (Ger), Per Barth (Swe), Matthew King (Eng), Ben Mason (Eng), Eric Chaudouet (Fra), Emilien Chamaulte (Fra), Soren Juul (Den), Matthew Zions (Aus), Richard Mcevoy (Eng), Raphaël Eyraud (Fra), Peter Whiteford (Sco).
73 Samuel Tanfin (Fra), Kevin Harper (Eng), Adam Gee (Eng), Adrien Mörk (Fra), Sarel Son-Houi (Fra), Ally Mellor (Eng), Christoffer Lange (Den), Julien Quesne (Fra), Tim Dykes (Wal), Colm Moriarty (Irl), Jean-Nicolas Billot (Fra), Cédric Menut (Fra), Alan Bihan (Fra), Jerome Theunis (Bel), Stuart Cage (Eng), Scott Henderson (Sco), Robert Coles (Eng), Robin Swane (Ned), Antoine Taupin (Fra).
74 Anthony Snobeck (Fra), Lewis Genney (Eng), Michael Maheo (Fra), Alasdair Hay (Sco), Mickael Dieu (Fra), Daniel Wardrop (Eng), Bertrand Coathalem (Fra), James Morrison (Eng), Magnus Persson (Swe)
75 Patrick Niederdrenk (Ger), Liam Bond (Wal), Antti Ahokas (Fin), Gareth Paddison (Nzl), Sébastien Delagrange (Fra), Julien Van Hauwe (Fra), Alessio Bruschi (Ita), Paul Waring (Eng), Van Phillips (Eng), Jacques Chevallier (Fra), Mark Laskey (Wal)
76 Nicolas Mourlon (Fra), Lasse Jensen (Den), Christophe Brazillier (Fra), Robert Dinwiddie (Eng), Benjamin Miarka (Ger), Roope Kakko (Fin), Sean Whiffin (Eng)
77 Benoit Teilleria (Fra), Jd Yvet (Fra), Christian Reimbold (Ger)
78 Quentin De Valensart (Bel),, Michael Mcgeady (Irl)
79 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Yossi Benchetrit (Fra)
80 Matt Dearden (Wal), Matt Ford (Eng)
81 Ilya Goroneskoul (Fra), Arnaud Gabellon (Fra)
83 Richard Treis (Ger)