The local hero won the D+D REAL Czech Masters in August, extending France's record of at least one DP World Tour winner every season since 2011 and will be crowned the winner next week by compatriot Frederic Lacru. Frederic Lacroix joined the winner's circle as he lifted his first Danish Golf Championship title.
Five Frenchmen have won on the Tour in the past two seasons and if a homegrown player wins this week it will be the first French team to win since the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) was founded in 1972. The 50th victory.
It took Jean van de Velde 21 years to reach his first Rome Masters in 1993, and Lavitto thanked those who followed him for their inspiration and friendship.
“I was really shocked when I came on tour last year and these guys were so nice to help me,” he said ahead of his third appearance at the French Open.
“I'm good friends with Antoine Rozner, we come from the same club. It's a huge help, especially seeing that he's got three wins already.
“I think our generation is really moving forward, and even the generation before us was very good. It was Gregory Havret, Raphael Jacqueline, Victor Dobson, Alex One of the best in terms of guys like Chris Levy. I forget some names but I think we have a really good generation going forward.
“It's a really good friendship and we help each other out, especially with people like ourselves who are new to the tour and new winners. Yeah, it's really exciting times.”
Mathieu Pavon is currently the highest-ranked Frenchman in the Official World Golf Ranking at No. 26, but 12 months ago he had yet to win on the DP World or PGA Tour.
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Now that he has won two honors and competed in the Olympics, Lavitto is inspired by his compatriot's progress.
“What he did last year was really inspiring,” he said. “This is a great example of how work ethic and dedication can lead to something, even seven or eight years later.
“He worked really hard and got his first win at the end of the season, his first win on the PGA Tour, and now he’s ready to be a star and, I guess, top 30 in the world.
“He was really encouraging and pushed us to practice more and he proved to all of us that it was possible.”
Lacroix is also proud to be ranked among France's contemporary stars such as Ugo Couteau and Romain Longesque, and believes that the strength of French football is sometimes underestimated.
“I think we are even underestimated sometimes in France,” he said. “People don't realize how hard it is. It's hard to win. It's hard to play in the First Division.
“French golf is in a very good position. There are a lot of players on the Tour and a lot of players on the Challenge Tour looking to really graduate.
“Even though we don't have as many wins as other countries, we're in a good position. It's growing. It's great to see it and it's great to be a part of it.”
