VERSAILLES: Victor Dubuisson took the early clubhouse lead in the first round of the French Open at Le Golf National on Thursday, saying he felt the pressure building on him to produce a home win.
The 25-year-old shotmaker from the Mediterranean glamour resort of Cannes, carded a three-under 68 that he felt could have been even better had the rub of the green gone his way.
As it was, a superb approach to two feet produced a fine birdie at the 18th, his ninth, that helped put him level with Austrian Bernd Wiesberger from among the morning starters.
The last French winner of continental Europe's oldest national championship was Thomas Levet in 2011 and Dubuisson is the star name among a raft of young French players starting to make their marks on the European Tour.
That is a role that Dubuisson says he is happy to accept although he understands it can crank up the pressure on him.
"I feel more the expectation and a little bit pressure from the crowd, because I especially want to do well for them, more than in other tournament. That's how I feel," he said
Dubuisson has also once again been at odds with certain members of the French media who have criticised him for being, in their eyes, diffident and arrogant.
In turn he has taken aim at them for writing about his difficult childhood, which saw him leave school at 10 to concentrate on his golf game.
It was an issue which came up again last year when Dubuisson became just the third Frenchman to play in the Davis Cup enjoying a successful debut for Europe at Gleneagles.
On that occasion he was paired with Graeme McDowell, with whom he played at last year's French Open before the Northern Irishman won for the second straight year.
They proved to be a winning duo and Dubuisson was well cocooned within the European Ryder Cup setup.
But tensions have emerged again on the home front this year. Dubuisson though says he is not intentionally being anti-media.
"I like the media. I feel very comfortable with the media. It's only two media in France that I'm not comfortable with at all," he said after Thursday's round.
"I don't speak to them because they did very bad things to me those few years.
"They did a few articles on my personal life that really hurt my entourage and my family, so I just don't talk to them.
"But with the other media, I'm always very pleased to talk."
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