Matt Fitzpatrick Leads Open de France by Five After Third-Round 65

• Matt Fitzpatrick shot 65 to reach 19-under and lead the FedEx Open de France.
• Tom Vaillant is second at 14-under after a third-round 67.
• Eugenio Chacarra shot the lowest round of the week, a 62.

Matt Fitzpatrick shot 65 at Le Golf National on Saturday to take a five-shot lead into the final round of the FedEx Open de France. At 19-under, the Englishman matched Seve Ballesteros’s 1985 mark for the tournament’s lowest 54-hole total.

Tom Vaillant is his nearest challenger at 14-under after a 67, with the Frenchman drawing loud support from the home crowd.

Fitzpatrick pulls clear after first bogey

Fitzpatrick had led by one after Friday’s bogey-free 64. He birdied the 1st from seven feet and picked up another shot at the 3rd after leaving his long eagle putt three feet short. A birdie at the 6th put him three clear, but he dropped his first shot of the week at the 8th.

A chip at the 9th set up another birdie. Fitzpatrick also birdied the 11th and 13th, then moved five ahead with a birdie at the 15th. He parred the final three holes to complete a round of seven birdies and one bogey.

“Just another really, really solid day. I felt really comfortable out there,” Fitzpatrick said.

“I think to birdie the first, it’s always nice to kind of get off to a nice start like that. And then 2-under through three, and you can kind of kick on from there. And I felt like that my game was pretty solid all day. I was disappointed to drop my one shot, to be honest. It will kind of stick with me.”

INTO A FIVE-SHOT LEAD! 😳

Matt Fitzpatrick extends his lead with his seventh birdie of the day, defending champion Michael Kim now heads the chasing pack at -14.#FedExOpenDeFrance pic.twitter.com/QcXDUjeplb

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 26, 2026

Vaillant leads the chase for an Open place

Vaillant punched the air after holing a 12-foot par putt at the 10th, then birdied the 15th to reach 14-under. He finished alone in second after defending champion Michael Kim made double bogey at the 18th and fell to 12-under.

Eugenio Chacarra, Brandon Stone, Kristoffer Reitan, Ángel Hidalgo and Jeff Winther share third place at 13-under. Chacarra’s 62 ended with a birdie and an eagle, while Stone shot 63.

Vaillant also leads the contest for a place at The 155th Open at St Andrews in 2027. The place goes to the highest-finishing non-exempt player who makes the cut. Fitzpatrick and Reitan already hold exemptions.

Tommy Fleetwood, the 2017 Open de France champion, withdrew before Saturday’s round due to illness. He had reached 6-under on Friday.

Related: SEVE Collection Launches Heart of SEVE Apparel for 2027 Ryder Cup

A hidden Ballesteros silhouette takes its cue from a tribute worn by Europe’s 2025 Ryder Cup team. Existing customers have early online access to the first release.

For the latest news in the golfing world, follow us on X.