Owen back in the swing

Greg Owen, back in action for the first time since his British Masters victory three weeks ago, began the French Open with two birdies at Le Golf National today.

In perfect early-morning conditions the Mansfield player, who had an incredible 21 top-10 finishes before finally grabbing his first win at the Forest of Arden, holed from 20 and then from four feet.

But it still was not enough to give him even a share of the lead at that point as France’s Julien Van Hauwe, 149th on the Order of Merit in this his first season on the European tour, kicked off with three birdies in four holes.

Neither Justin Rose nor his close friend Ian Poulter was able to make such a quick impression, however.

Poulter hit his opening shot into water and bogeyed – while playing partner Rose, who has picked up a heavy cold since his fifth-place finish in the US Open two weeks ago, dropped a shot two holes later.

They were paired with Australian Stephen Leaney, surprise runner-up to Jim Furyk in the second major of the year. He opened with three straight pars.

Owen shared second place with Scot Andrew Oldcorn, Yorkshire’s Ian Garbutt and South Korean Charlie Wi – but they then found themselves tied for the lead when Van Hauwe took six at the 552-yard 14th, his fifth.

Owen returned to square one with one bad shot, losing his three-wood second to the long 14th and running up a double-bogey seven.

At level par he was suddenly four adrift of Wi, who eagled the 515-yard ninth to turn in a fine 32.

Without a single top-20 finish this season – he is 133rd on the money list - the former American college player led by three from Indian Arjun Atwal and Germany-based Englishman Gary Birch.

Rose got back to level par with a 15-foot putt on the 15th and then almost holed-in-one at the next.

Wi remained four under with seven to play and was caught first by Birch and then by Luton's Phil Golding, who birdied the ninth and 10th.

Owen turned in a level-par 36 and was alongside Poulter – who made up for a second bogey at the 17th with an eagle at the next – and one behind Rose, who after also bogeying at the 17th just missed out on a matching birdie on the 18th.