The DP World Tour’s “Back 9” swing through Europe heads to Paris this week for the FedEx Open de France. The tournament is being played at the famous Le Golf National from September 24-27, with a $3.75 million prize fund up for grabs. The winner on Sunday will take home $637,500, which is 17% of the total purse.
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Le Golf National is in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, just outside Paris. Golf fans will remember the course as the venue for Europe’s famous 2018 Ryder Cup win over the United States. The Open de France itself dates back to 1906, making it one of the oldest national opens in professional golf. This year, the winner will also earn 5,000 Race to Dubai points and 1,000 Ryder Cup points along with the prize money.
Prize money breakdown
Here’s how the $3.75 million purse is distributed through the top of the leaderboard:
- 1st: $637,500
- 2nd: $412,500
- 3rd: $236,250
- 4th: $187,500
- 5th: $159,000
- 6th: $131,250
- 7th: $112,500
- 8th: $93,750
- 9th: $84,000
- 10th: $75,000
- 11th: $69,000
- 12th: $64,500
- 13th: $60,375
- 14th: $57,375
- 15th: $55,125
The prize money goes down as you move further down the leaderboard. Even players finishing around 69th or 70th can still earn about $7,125 if they make the cut and complete all four rounds.
Defending champion returns to the field
Michael Kim returns this week as the defending champion after winning last year’s event by one stroke. His victory made him just the fourth American to win the title. Kim earned $552,500 from last year’s $3.25 million purse, showing how much the prize fund has grown in just one year.
Kim will face a strong field this week, with some of the DP World Tour’s biggest names in action. Ryder Cup players Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland are all in the field. LIV Golf’s Cameron Smith is also playing after receiving a sponsor invitation. Elvis Smylie, who finished runner-up to Kim last year, is back as he looks to go one better this time.
A tournament with a deep list of past champions
The Open de France has had plenty of big names lift the trophy in recent years. Dan Bradbury won in 2024, Ryo Hisatsune took the title in 2023, and Guido Migliozzi won in 2022. Before them, Nicolas Colsaerts won in 2019, Alex Noren in 2018, Tommy Fleetwood in 2017, Thongchai Jaidee in 2016, and Bernd Wiesberger in 2015. That list says a lot about the history and importance of this event on the European Tour.
The prize money has also come a long way since the tournament began in 1906. This year’s $3.75 million purse is another sign of how much the DP World Tour is trying to raise the stakes during its “Back 9” events. With valuable Race to Dubai points also on offer, there is plenty at stake for players trying to improve their position before the season-ending playoffs in November.
And with players like Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith and defending champion Michael Kim in the field, this should be an interesting week at Le Golf National. The prize money is only part of the story, but it could make the final leaderboard even more interesting when Sunday arrives.
This week’s FedEx Open de France feels even more important for Le Golf National. The Albatros course hosted the Open de France every year from 1991 to 2024, as well as the 2018 Ryder Cup and golf at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But then it closed in October 2024 for a major renovation linked to the construction of a new Paris Metro line near the course. It finally reopened to the public on September 1, 2026, making this week’s tournament its first major event since the work was completed.
The renovation also changed parts of the course. General manager Philippe Pilato said hole 4 had to be redesigned because of the nearby Metro line. Hole 5 was moved, while hole 6 was also reworked. The changes added 17 new bunkers across the three holes and turned the sixth into a drivable par 4 for big events. Greens on holes 1, 2, 15 and 18 were also reshaped. The course also changed its turf in several areas to reduce water use.
That makes this week more than just another Open de France. Players are returning to one of the most recognizable courses in European golf, but they are seeing parts of it in a new way. Last year, Michael Kim won at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche while Le Golf National was closed. Now, Ryder Cup stars and LIV Golf’s Cameron Smith are back on the Albatros for the first time since 2024, with $637,500 waiting for the winner. It should be fascinating to see how the new-look course handles the field.