Ireland’s Max Kennedy delivered a sensational performance at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André, firing a course-record 10-under-par 60 to storm into a commanding four-shot lead after day one of the Blot Play9.
The 23-year-old began his round on the back nine and quickly set the tone with a birdie-eagle-birdie start. He continued his charge with birdies at the 15th and 18th, making the turn in a blazing 29. On the front nine, Kennedy added birdies at the 1st and 5th before rolling in his second eagle of the day at the par-five 7th. Needing just one more birdie over his final two holes for a magical 59, Kennedy narrowly missed the mark but secured a clean card with a superb par save on the 9th.
“I’m very happy. It was a very nice round—I didn’t miss many shots,” Kennedy reflected. “The eagle on 11 was a highlight, a 45-footer that just dropped. I gave myself a lot of good looks, and I hit it well from tee to green all day.”
Kennedy’s low score puts him four ahead of two-time DP World Tour winner James Morrison (-6), while Norway’s Baard Skogen follows at five-under. Ireland’s Mark Power and Belgium’s Matthis Besard are tied at four-under in fourth place.
Arriving in Brittany with momentum after a career-best 11th place finish at the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge, Kennedy credited his form and the course layout for his aggressive, confident play.
“This course fits my game—I like to be aggressive off the tee and leave myself with wedges in. It gave me a lot of chances, and I took them,” Kennedy said.
With his strategic yet fearless approach, Kennedy now eyes his breakthrough win as the Blot Play9 heads into the weekend
About the HotelPlanner Tour
The HotelPlanner Tour, formerly the Challenge Tour, had its first official season in 1989, and has developed into a proven training ground, where the champions-in-waiting compete across the globe for a place on the DP World Tour.
Many players who have progressed from the HotelPlanner Tour have gone on to become Major Champions – including Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka – and Ryder Cup stars, such as Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton.
Using its vast international schedule and relationships with golf federations and PGAs, the HotelPlanner Tour is widely accessible to professionals from across the globe, giving players from developing golfing nations the opportunity to test their skill amongst some of the most talented up and coming stars in world golf.
HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology company, has been the title partner of the HotelPlanner Tour since the start of the 2025 season.
About the European Tour group
The European Tour group administers the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, as the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe LLP, stages golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup, in partnership with the PGA of America.
The European Tour group has Strategic Partnerships with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, the China Golf Association (CGA), the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India. These partnerships provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group which was established in 1972, as well as the HotelPlanner Tour.
