Fitzpatrick builds big lead at Open de France as Fleetwood withdraws

Matt Fitzpatrick moved a big step closer to a fourth worldwide win of the season after taking a five-shot lead into the final round of the FedEx Open de France. The Englishman held a one-shot advantage heading into the weekend at Le Golf National but pulled further ahead with a six-under 65 on Saturday afternoon, mixing seven birdies with his first bogey of the week. Fitzpatrick - already a winner on the PGA Tour at the Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic of New Orleans this year - moved to 19 under and with a commanding advantage over France's Tom Vaillant. Latest golf leaderboards: Open de France and moreDP World Tour: Latest headlines, reports, highlightsGet the latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract Twitter This content is provided by Twitter, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Twitter cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Twitter cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Twitter cookies for this session only. Spain's Eugenio Chacarra, third in the Race to Dubai standings behind Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy, charged into a share of third after carding an eagle and seven birdies in a round-of-the-week 62.Ryder Cup hopeful Kristoffer Reitan, Brandon Stone, Angel Hidalgo and Jeff Winther are also in the group six behind, while England's Tommy Fleetwood withdrew ahead of the third round due to illness. Datawrapper This content is provided by Datawrapper, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Datawrapper cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Datawrapper cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Datawrapper cookies for this session only. How Fitzpatrick extended his lead in FranceFitzpatrick quickly grabbed control by birdieing the first and two-putting from 40 feet to take advantage of the par-five third, with the former US Open champion adding another birdie at the sixth. He failed to get up and down to save par from off the par-three eighth green but responded by birdieing the par-five next, then added three more after the turn - including from tap-in range at the par-four 13th - to pull further clear. More from Golf Golf Leaderboards: PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, LIV Golf, DP World Tour, Ladies European Tour, major championships and more Presidents Cup - Team USA vs Internationals LIVE! Latest updates, scores, highlights from Saturday foursomes, fourballs at Medinah Golf: Justin Thomas fails in his attempt to play a left-handed shot at Presidents Cup Presidents Cup: Tom Kim shushes animated American crowd! Open de France: England's Matt Fitzpatrick grabs halfway lead over Jeff Winther on DP World Tour at Le Golf National Presidents Cup 2026: Latest scores, results, tee times, leaderboard as Team USA host International Team at Medinah Twitter This content is provided by Twitter, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Twitter cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Twitter cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Twitter cookies for this session only. "Just another really, really solid day," Fitzpatrick said. "I felt really comfortable out there. It's always nice to get off to a nice start like that and then you can kind of kick on from there."I felt like that my game was pretty solid all day. I feel like I'm in a position that if I go and shoot a good round tomorrow, then obviously it makes it almost impossible to catch. But a long way to go and just take it hole by hole." Image: Fitzpatrick had played his first two rounds bogey-free at Le Golf National Vaillant will play alongside Fitzpatrick in the final group after carding five birdies and a bogey during a third-round 67, while Chacarra's 62 included a 25-foot eagle at the ninth and five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine."I've been playing unbelievable golf the first couple rounds," Chacarra explained. "The putts didn't want to go in and today we finally see some putts go in. So happy with a good moving day." Image: Eugenio Chacarra is still in the running to top the season-long Race to Dubai standings Winther stumbled with a double-bogey at the par-five 14th in his third-round 70, dropping him back to 13 under, while first-round leader Michael Kim slipped a further shot back after finishing his day with a double-bogey at the par-four last.English duo Sam Bairstow and Joe Dean carded matching 66s to head into the final day on 11 under, while Fleetwood was due to head into the weekend on six under before his withdrawal.Who will win the FedEx Open de France? Watch the final round live on Sunday from 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf. Get latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW. Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland