Lawrie just shy of French lead

A dropped shot at the last denied Dubliner Peter Lawrie a share of the lead alongside Spain's Pablo Larrazabal at the French Open at Le Golf National in Paris.

Lawrie looked on course for a blistering 65 after a raft of birdies but will be content to share second with English teenager Oliver Fisher for the moment.

The Irishman opened his round with a double bogey on the par four first but pulled a shot back on the second before consecutive birdies from the fourth to the seventh.

A bogey on the ninth meant he made the turn at two-under-par and five birdies in six holes from the 10th moved him to seven under before he dropped shots at the 16th and 18th.

Ulsterman Graeme McDowell is next best of the Irish along he shot two-under-par 69s and he would have been joined by Paul McGinley if the latter had not dropped four shots in the last three holes to drop to level par.

Darren Clarke and Damien McGrane finished one over, while a 73 for Gary Murphy left him two over, but it is the Dungannon man who stands to lose the most if his form doesn't pick up over the weekend.

Clarke needs to finish in the top three to have a chance of avoiding Monday's 36-hole British Open qualifying.
 
Although a bogey at the last slipped him to one-over for the day, he remains just about in touch of the Lawrie's lead.

Clarke has made no secret of his desire to make the Open at Royal Birkdale, an event he has not missed since 1991, but will need to improve over the weekend if he is to skip the lottery of qualifying.

If not, then Sunningdale next Monday beckons, with 120 players competing over 36 holes for roughly 15 places.

Fisher was the first player to tee off in the event at 7.30am and did not drop a stroke all day.

"They were ideal conditions and I played really consistently. It helps that the courses are not new to me this year. It makes it simpler when you arrive and know where everything is.

"The near-miss in Spain was a great confidence boost for me. I came very close and that was the first time I had been in contention as a pro."

Home favourite Thomas Levet beat Fisher in Spain after the latter bogeyed the last, but this morning the Frenchman crashed from one-under to three-over in the space of a few minutes.

The former Ryder Cup player had four slashes at his ball in knee-high rough as he ran up a quadruple bogey on the long third, his 12th.

Order of Merit leader Miguel Angel Jimenez was in the lake on both the first and second after turning in a level par 35 and with three to go was one-over.