December 2013 : This month of December I had the chance to be invited to spend a day with Nicolas Colsaert, his manager: Vincent Borremans, his trainer since the age of 8 years old: Michel Vanmeerbee. Nicolas what class, he came especially to spend a few hours with me.
Despite a polar cold accentuated by the wind, I spent an unforgettable day. I met very professional mais people who were very humble and very open.
At the time I was disappointed not to play as I know how to do, mais I think it was the worst conditions to play.
Even with my new clothes Bent Criss I was very, very cold, that is to say, especially at the Mayns and at the head and what is more, it is never easy to play in front of people who analyze you...
mais in the end I learned a lot and I left reinvigorated because they offered to take me into their team…
October 2013 : Back to school in September already seems a long way off. In this month of October, I won the final of the Junior Tour NGF at the Courson golf course. Followed the paca junior grand prix to quickly forget (a big blow of fatigue) mais which allowed me to see my friends Nina, Bruno Donche Gay and their parents Bruno and Cynthia who welcomed us like royalty. I love them and say a big thank you. I hope I will see them again very soon
The next day May I took part in the Junior Trophy sponsored by Raphaël Jacquelin at the Lyon golf club. The first day, despite a wind of madness, I play + 2 with a – 2 on the return. Ditto the second day a + 2 with 3 times 3 putts and I win the competition with 17 strokes in advance.
August 2013: French Championships, a new adventure!
It is indeed the first time that I participate. As the chantilly golf course is closed on Thursday, I have to do a recce on Friday morning and as on Saturday, the golf course is reserved for members, I have to do a last recce on Sunday morning when I would have preferred to rest. A strange choice for this private golf course to organize a competition for young people!!
Moreover, it is on Sunday that we discover that the distances of the yellows have been shortened and when I say shortened it is more than 500 meters less !! 5200 meters on a flat course and really not technical !! For me whose length is one of my assets, having par 4s, which you can take in one and the others in drive-sandwedge... that makes it a pitch and putt !! While the final of the French championships should be a selection, we favor the "poupousses baballes" as I kindly call them, those who drive 150m...
In France, unlike the USA, I have been made to play whites since I was 8 years old on the pretext that I have a low index..., the selections are made on very technical courses with classic lengths of yellows and for the final considerably shortened the course, incomprehensible for everyone!! On a “normal” course the results would have been very different...
Up at 5 a.m. on Monday, practice warm-up at 6:15 a.m., departure at 7:20 a.m. hard hard for me who is not a morning person!! Despite a driving breakdown I hang on until the 17th or ù I still have a stroke of hypoglycemia which costs me dearly (triple and double). Departure at 3 p.m. on the second day (it's better for me) and I find my game to return a card of +4 despite some commas...
So, after an average start, the matchplays begin. A game formula that I know very little about, having been unable, because of my snakebite, to do it last year.
For the first game, I meet another youngster from the second part of the table. The motivation to fight increases his strength tenfold and despite his father's manifest anti-game gestures on the edge of the field well watched by our CTN Cédric Coquet (whom I thank), I lead all match being 2 times 2 up. I even make an eagle at 12, mais my opponent hangs on as if his life depended on it, we come back tied at 18. 3 play-off threes follow where & ugrave; I have to birdie to win. There are a lot of people following the play-off mais I feel and I understand that my opponent's clan does not want me well... How bad are they, it motivates me even more ...
Good experience, I learned a lot about match-play in one match, that's cool!
The second game, I gave a lot of energy and influx yesterday, fatigue points mais even more in my opponent. It's very hot (35-36°) and even if I make a comma at 6, thus brushing the hole in 1, I have to go to 16 to win the match.
For the 3rd match, as soon as I wake up I feel that I am not having a good day. I slept very badly and I am tired. While I should have won the match 10 times, I lost it 1 up. I couldn't speed up when I started. it would have been necessary, more enough juice. I have not yet recovered 100% from this snakebite and it is catching up with me... In the end, even if there will be no sequelae, it will have cost me dearly this bite...
I am obviously very disappointed not to have reached at least the final and to win. I succeeded at 75% of my French championships, as I couldn't do enough kilometers of competition, I just lacked a little juice for it to be 100%.
mais my golf is there, my desire and my pleasure to play always so high and I'm only 11 years old so still a little time ;-)
I would like to thank Jean Paul Exbraya for his very useful and effective muscle awakenings, mais also and especially my trainer Olivier Raynal. He has been coaching me since October 2012 and I have learned a lot from him. He followed almost all of my games, which allowed us to do very precise, very effective debriefings. I had to learn quickly and without him, without his involvement, without his patience, without his expert eye... it wouldn't have been possible. You have the class Olivier ;-) I am really very happy that you are my trainer.
July 2013: After the MIRs where I had a putter problem that broke... I participated in the French team championships for under-17s 2nd division with My club de Mionnay on the La Freslonnière golf course. Up Monday 5 a.m., 7 a.m. truck, recce. Despite this very very narrow course I played the first day in 77 despite a double and a triple. Then 83 the second, with very difficult flag positions. I have the 2nd best score of my team just one stroke behind my friend Mathieu Gavazzi (-0.9) which means that the next day we play the foursome together which we win on the 19th hole. Barely finished, I am told that I have to leave for a matchplay!! I really didn't want to, I'm dead, mais I'm going back... and I lose the game. The next day Mayn another match... Which makes 6 rounds in 5 days!!
The return to the maison was long and 3 days of fever followed... No golf for 8 days... Not great to prepare for the French championships!! A lesson to remember for next year...
After a good rest, head to the French championships at Chantilly...
June 2013: Beginning of merits at the Lyon Verger golf course. It is a narrow course, quite long with fairly difficult greens, very rolling and almost always windy. Everything I love. The 1st day, it rained and as the day before it had also rained all day the course was wet, mais especially the greens full of water and it is not easy to putt in these conditions as much as he had The choice was made to place the flags in very complicated places.
The second day, there were gusts of wind of 50 km/h which had at least the merit of drying the greens and by finding my putting I returned a card of 78 despite a course and difficult conditions. I therefore have an 8-stroke lead before the next two days at the Albon golf course...
After the last two days at the Albon golf course, I won this first qualifying phase for the French championships, with a 20-stroke lead over the second and 50 over the 8th qualifier. I produced good golf on the 1st round and despite a quadruple on May 2 and 17 with 3 birdies I played 84. The second day I played around the holes all day to finish with a small 82, which is all, is not so bad on this very physical course and not badly technical. On the two laps, I had in the Mayns and in the head a 75/76 mais not yet in the legs. A few more warm-up laps and it will come…
I did my first Grand Prix. That of the Lyon golf club in Villete d'Anton. It was a GP cat .6 on the course of the boars. Superb course, very long 6700 / 6800 m !! Especially on the second day when I played 5 hours in the rain... I'm still happy with this first experience.
May 2013: Still this weather worthy of a month of November.
As the European championships in Scotland were on the same dates as the first qualifying phase for the French championships, I was therefore unable to go there and it's a real shame because I love the atmosphere and the courses of Scotland.
I did a few practice runs in comp mode to get myself into it. The form returns...
I also participated in the French championships by men's team 2nd division with My club de Mionnay. Of course I was by far the youngest mais I loved playing as a team, cadayer when I was not playing… It was so fall weather that the second day was canceled. This happened on the Commanderie golf course which was really in a bad state, there was so much mud, a hole remained closed... A good drive in the middle of the fairways and we could no longer find the ball which was so plugged up that 'she was disappearing… mais as usual at the Commandery the welcome was tiptop and the poor did what they could so that we could play. Thanks to them.
April 2013: The good weather is finally back, the competitions are also coming. I'm ready !! I did one, in a foursome with Mathieu Giavazzi, he's super nice. I had fun.
I also did a practice game with Nelson Desmoulin (a neo pro) he plays really well, I learned a lot of things and he is really super super nice, I Can't wait for us to start again... Whenever you want Nelson ;-)
2013: I'm slowly recovering mais surely. All the work done this winter is in place. I have made a lot of progress. I feel even stronger in my game. I can't wait for the competitions to resume. Many beautiful things are emerging for me in this year 2013...
January 2013: My best wishes for health to all those who support me.
For my part, I am always in search of form. After having passed, in December, a whole battery of examinations at the hospital, the doctors concluded that it only needed time to recover from this snakebite: between 6 months and a year.
It's long, very long. I still have this fatigue and these repeated hypoglycemias...
mais, believe me, I will come back even stronger and more determined than ever. Even if I can't do competitions, I can still train in small doses and this has allowed me to do some substantive work that is already bearing fruit.
My life is golf and competition, so when I'm deprived of one or the other, it reinforces my desire even more...
August 2012: Mid-August, even if it's not yet in great shape, I slowly resumed training because I missed golf too much!! And after 3/4 sessions, my sensations are gradually returning. I don't have the strength to do 18 holes yet, mais I played in the par the first 7 holes of Bresson des Blancs, I did 9 holes in match play with my physio-friend Patrick... < /p>
July : Unfortunately the snakebite had more complications than expected and after suffering martyrdom (I didn't think it was so difficult to play golf while exhausted) playing in Nimes (where; I got bitten by the snake:-() at the beginning of July, with 6/4 blood pressure...
The doctors imposed a rest on me for more than a month, the time for the new treatments to take effect and for my constants and my blood to return to normal. They concluded that I had been bitten by a small asp viper...
I was really unlucky because because of this snakebite I couldn't do the French championships or the world championships in the USA, I followed the results a bit, but I really had the boules so I no longer watched the Olympic Games on TV. I enjoyed seeing someone I know like Tony Estanguet (I taught him how to kick a golf ball) win his 3rd title. I think we had some great French champions with a good state of mind. I can't wait to be there one day at the Olympics...
June 2012: I'm still preparing for the merits and my competition scores are getting better and better. This week Mayne: +4 at the Salvagny golf course which I did not know, I had just had time the day before to do a quick recce of the last 9 holes...
May 2012: For the first time, I went on a triangular with the Rhône Alpe league in Nîmes and you know what? I got bitten by a snake... 3 days in the ER followed by 3 weeks of antibiotics...
Who said golf wasn't a dangerous sport?
Next time I'll be more careful where. I set foot, believe me;-)
April 2012 : The competitions are finally here and it's not too soon!! That's what we train for, isn't it?
February 2012 : With the cold, it was difficult to train so I headed for the sun for some basic work that is already bearing fruit.
I also went to spend a day at My favorite clubfitterJean Michel Queva. A day of hitting balls to find the best material adapted to my new swing and he found, he is too strong!!
January 2012 :
Best wishes to all.
May 2012 bring you health and happiness.
May you have as much golf as I do.
For me, 2012 is looking great, with new coaches and trainers, new equipment, new club, new swing...
I've had a blast at my new school for three months. I made a lot of new friends. The atmosphere is great mais we have a lot of homework especially in French and that's less cool. I had a general average of 17.7 in the 1st quarter with a year in advance, so it's going pretty well ;-))
I did quite a bit of skating in Chamrousse to get the sweet tooth and I love it, almost more than downhill skiing.
I can't wait for the competitions to resume...
September 2011 : After a few competitions around my house, it's back to school time. And since I'm a year ahead, I entered 6th grade in college. And it's GREAT, I love it. It's huge, there are a lot of students. I have teachers who are generally quite nice. I take the bus, I eat in the canteen... I feel even taller from the height of my 10 years that I have just turned.
Like last year, I made the final of the Haribo kids cup in Evian. mais unlike 2010, the weather was really bad. On Saturday there were heavy downpours. I played with older than me mais they lost a lot of balls... it was not easy to play and especially to score. We played in 5h30 (compared to 4h15) it was very long we waited for each start, each shot... I missed a lot of little things that I usually never missmais and I played +4 which for me on this ground and at these distances is not terrible.
After a mega boom on Saturday evening, we resumed the games in continuous rain and above all it was only 10 or 11°c. After 6 holes (I was at +1) it became impracticable and the organizers decided to stop the competition...
I was tied with another mais I was declared second ... It does not matter even if I hate not winning.
In any case, this Haribo Kids Cup competition is really well organized and it's still one of the best I've done despite the weather. Can not wait for next year !! Thank you Sandrine and Franck for giving us the chance to do it in the best conditions.
August 2011 : During the world championships of golf in Pinehurst it was really very very hot this year, even more than the previous years! Around 40°c in the shade!
The first day I started from tee 10, the last 9 holes are more difficult than the fairway. While I was playing well I was in par (with two birdies and two bogeys) after 11 all I got heat stroke!!
I had no more strength, I couldn't concentrate anymore and above all I felt like my left brain was going to explode!! I almost stopped and went straight to the emergency room mais I hung on and unfortunately ended up at + 7 or 79.
The second day it was a little cooler because there were clouds (37°c anyway!) I started again from tee 10 with a Chinese and a Korean. There was a better atmosphere than the first day!
After 5 holes I was at - 4 with two birdies and an eagle on the 14th, a par 4 of 308 y (281m) I sent my drive 30 cm from the flag!!
At 15 I was – 3 and while I was in 3 on the green of this par 5, a blow of a fog horn announced an immediate stop because of the storm! Evacuation and 3 hour interruption!!
On recovery I thought that the greens were no longer going to roll mais it was the opposite, faster than before the storm!! I definitely don't understand these American greens :-((
Result a bogey followed by another on the next hole, finally a par snatch on the 8 and I make a nice comma on the 9 while I putt for birdie on this hole with an impossible green in a dome, I was furious , so I finished at - 1 when I had the possibility of finishing at - 4 or - 5 !!
On the third day, given the storms and the interruptions, the departures from the previous day had not changed, not everyone had been able to finish the second lap...
So I started again from 10 with the same players as the day before, which suited me very well. On the other hand, I was really tired and I had trouble waking up, which made the first holes difficult! Bogey, bogey, double bogey. I was at + 4 after 5 holes, the opposite of the day before! mais I hung on, I struggled to get a birdie on 16 and I still have a nice comma for birdie on 17, I miss a 50 cm putt on the return on 3 because someone shouted at the same time as I was putting... I play + 3 despite my very bad start!!
In the end I only finished 14th!
I am both happy and disappointed, because without this problem of heat stroke on the first day I could have played for the win, I am only 2 shots from 9th place and 4 shots from 5th place.. .so very close to the podium.
mais it allowed me to see that I was still among the best in the world in my category and that's reassuring!!
July 2011 : As for 5 years I went to the USA for my 5th world championships in Pinehurst. When I arrived I went through Augusta mais I couldn't play there mais it's THE tournament I dream of winning so I'll be back...
June 2011 : I continue my learning in the management of an 18-hole competition! Indeed since the beginning of the year I play 18 yellow holes and now white and above all I had to learn to do and chain the 18 holes alone – without my shopping cart – and it was not necessarily easy! My first 9 holes were always great while the last 9 a little more complicated. I often forgot to eat... I did 11 holes in less than a month... I went to compete on the sublime course of Cran Montana in Switzerland: The European Master Junior organized by Graham Moore , it's really a great event and I finished 2nd!
May 2011 : A weekend of playing in the rain and thunderstorms on Saturday where I caught a cold and it's sick that I had to play on Sunday with a 60/70 km mistral on a course that I don't like at all: the Chanalets golf course. Absolutely not suitable for us children, the hassle all day pushing our trolley on these steep slopes...
So very average scores with a few balls out of bounds like on Saturday, 2 just on this famous hole 17, a par 3 with a huge difference in height and a quadruple to the key for a map of +18... In short, a competition at quickly forget mais the qualification for the continuation, was, despite everything, largely assured, it is thus the principal!! I finished the HS weekend!!
In passing, I qualified for the final in Evian of the superb competition: the Haribo kids cup.
I won with 16 strokes ahead of the second with a + 10 on the Bresson golf course.
So off to the final in September at Evian, which I won last year.
April 2011 : I went to play the – 13 years at the Giez golf course. I did the recon. with a very nice gentleman: Patrick Dubois. He is a ski instructor. We had a start together by chance and as he knew the course by heart he gave me a lot of info and surprised me on the first day of the competition he was there to debrief me and he followed me from afar good part of the course... Thanks to him for his very good advice...
On the other hand, I also discovered that there was a lot of cheating. This category should always be accompanied by an independent marker, it should be mandatory. I think it's not very difficult to ask the club's grandpas to come and follow and rate a game. They should be happy to follow children, just ask them...
The Giez golf course has a particularity: you have to take a shuttle between holes 3 and 4, it's so steep. It's funny.
On the second day it was falling hard and at the height of the storm I made my first quintuple of my life. I didn't want to change clubs and that cost me the victory. Moreover I should have normally played in my category of – of 11 years old mais as it was the same day, I chose the category above...
I participated for the last time in the trophy of the small golfers (for the – of 11 years). Despite organizational shortcomings, my Haute-Savoie department finished on the podium for the first time, in second place, only one point behind the leaders.
2011 : There is no more snow so ski is over. So I practiced a lot of golf. I'm learning to tame the 18 holes of the whites which from the height of my 9 years is not easy. I did some Sunday competitions with adults. Well, there are some who are really uncool, who cheat, who talk when we play... Fortunately, there are some cool ones!
February 2011 : The flu happened, so I couldn't go to the Snow Golf Cup in Megève organized by my friend Pierre-Antoine Missud while I was registered there. Playing golf in the snow is fun mais with 40 fever, much less. It's really a shame because it's a nice and funny event... May I'll be there next year!
Another appointment that I will also miss is the European Championships!!
A competition that I love and although I am registered and everything is booked I will not be able to go!!
And there I have the balls. Why ?
Because our dear Rhône Alpe league has found nothing better than to put on the first qualifying phase of the French championships (the Inter Departmental Merits – MID) on the same weekend!!
And yes they are too strong. It's the only league in France that has such a busy schedule that they couldn't find another date!! In addition they say that the European championships are not a competition approved by the federation so they do not take it into account... And we are told that mentalities are changing !!?? MDR.
They still deprive a dozen children of this beautiful competition in this fabulous corner of the world that is Scotland.
So I absolutely didn't want to do the Merits and go to the European Golf Championships to win them and prepare well for the World Golf Championships mais I was forced to do the MIR... so I'm going to do them.. .
And oh yes, they also put the regional – 11 years old 3 days after the weekend of the second phase of these famous MID!! Cool, I (with other children) will have to do 3 courses of 18 holes in 5 days at 9 years old!!! And said they want young golfers!!??
I can't wait to move to the USA!!
January 2011 : Best wishes to all. May 2011 bring you lots of birdies... (Hey, that's not very original, I already wrote that in 2010 ;-)))
I found my classmates and my teacher. I really like my new school (I have absolutely no regrets about having left that of Herbeys). My master, Mr. Denis Chambaz, is really a great teacher, he encourages and supports me (quite the opposite of my teacher last year!!). I feel good in his class with my new friends and especially my new girlfriends ;-)) so it allows me to play golf better!!
December 2010 : Still cold, snowy... so despite the fact that I barely trained, I headed for the Doral in Florida. It is a competition over 2 days where; I finished 2nd only two strokes behind the first, mais with a lot of regrets because especially on the second day I could and should have scored much better than my +1 (same score as the first day). Indeed I make 3 birdies mais two double-bogeys and especially I miss 4 birdies including two which were given!!
mais
the greens were very rolling and did not pitch! Unlike those who live there, I'm not used to this type of green and fairways. Despite the fatigue of the trip, I find it a pity that there were not 3 tours...
I can't wait to train normally again!
November 2010 : Rain, cold, snow... I couldn't do much!
October 2010 : After my training at the training center in Evian I went to the Golf Imperial in Switzerland for a training with Christian Cévaër !!
Imagine that!! I shared his training for 2h30!!
We played a little game. Putting to start, a little competition on 18 putting holes, he beat me by 3 holes then a petanque on 18 holes at the sandwedge, I was leading by 2 UP before he beat me 3 down followed by a practice session...
I really had a great afternoon. THANK YOU Christian!!
At the end of October I took part in the 4th JUNIOR TROPHY of the LYON GOLF CLUB. It's very very cold with such a huge wind that they canceled the first day because there were trees that fell on the course, including one right next to me at 18...
The second day it was a little better mais I discovered that there was a lot of cheating in golf! I still can't believe it!! There are some who have understood nothing about sport...
He should put an adult other than a parent in each game to control the scores as it happens in a lot of competition in the USA and even for Haribo. It's not very difficult to ask one of the other parents to follow a game or to ask the people of the club to come and write down the cards. I'm sure there would be many more volunteers than we want to say!! It is often enough to simply ask for it...
mais good, I played for the first time in my life two 18 holes without a caddy, yellows (5700 m) on a course that I did not know and in very difficult climatic conditions and I still played in my index so it's not bad!!
Ah, if there's one thing that was great, it's that my friend Raphaël Jacquelin came to spend the day with us and believe me he Raph is really great, always available, always smiling and he had to take the plane the next day Mayn at 4am to go do a competition in Morocco whereù he still played very well... thank you again Raph you're really a great champion and a really good guy!
September 2010 : It's back to school!! I changed schools and I am very counting. My new school is great. I like my new friends and my new teacher. We have to get up when someone comes in, or wait for them to be in class before sitting down... I find it funny... and we work a lot more than where we are. I was before and above all the atmosphere of the school and the class is much, much friendlier... With a year in advance, I am therefore in CM2!! Soon the college...
I took part in the final of the Haribo Kids Cup in Evian. It was GREAT!!
This is one, if not THE most beautiful competition I have participated in.
A magnificent sunny weekend on a dream course with an incredible atmosphere and yet it was only the first edition!! I'm sure this competition will become a must worthy of the Evian Masters.
And I'm not saying that because I won or because it's My club, I really mean it.
We stayed at the Hôtel Ermitage, the most beautiful hotel in which I have slept. The reception was at the Royal Hotel a magnificent place and even more.
I found lots of friends and I played the last day with my friend Hugo. Roll on next year for the second edition.
Thank you Franck, Sandrine, Pierre Guy... for organizing this fabulous competition.
August 2010 : Once back and recovered from my disappointment at the world championships, I did an 18-hole competition at Bresson and played +8 blue balls. I had already done it (and even +5) in training mais I'm counting. Yet I made 3 putts at 1 (boggey) and 4 putts at 3 (boggey) mais I made + 4 to go with 2 birdies and + 4 to return with 1 birdie. Objective to play par by the end of the year...
I also celebrated my 9th birthday on the 27th!!
July 2010 : As the month of May heralds the European Championships, the month of July heralds the holidays mais also the World Championships at Pinehurst. So off to the USA.
I would very much like to live in the USA (it will come ;-)). I like the American spirit and mentality. I like their lifestyle...
I've been coming to Pinehurst for 4 years to measure myself against the best and I love it, I even love it!!
It's always very hot (+40°c) the greens, the fairways... everything is so different from our place.
I play the last 9 holes of Mid Pines, a superb course. I did all the recce with my buddy Kian Luke Rose from South Africa. We get along really well and our caddy too. The last two days of recce we played as if we were in competition and I played -4 and -3!!
I feel strong, I feel capable of winning... yet I finished "only" 20th.
I'm disappointed.
I played well, I fought mais this time it was my caddy who was not good (he says so!!).
A few errors in choosing clubs, bad management of stress and average shots, make me play +4 (with a triple) +4 and +3. The winner, an American off course, plays in par!!
A top 5 and better summer within my reach, mais we learn, we learn... and there we still learned a lot and there will be a before and an after...
Victory is coming soon!!
June 2010 : Ah Scotland!! The rain, the wind, the links, the incredible greens... Well, we've never had such good weather and believe me, Scotland under the sun is really beautiful. On the other hand, I quickly prefer to forget the competition!! Because if I played very well, I putt very very badly and above all I did not have the respectful behavior that I should have so my caddy cropped me up and I will remember it for a long time... I learn, I learn...
When I got home I fell ill (40°c fever...) so I couldn't do the regional championships in Aix les Bains. Too bad...
At the end of the month I went to Switzerland to Cran Montana to do the European Master Junior. It's also a great competition in such a magical place. I played on the 9 hole Jack Nicklaus. During the recce I played -10 yes yes you read correctly: -10 (departures arranged) I made 1 par, 6 birdies and 2 eagles!! Well I played a little less well during the competition and I finished second. Thanks to Graham Moore the organizer and his wife Maria both very kind.
May 2010 : I like the month of May, usually the weather is nice, the days get longer, so I can train more and more and I like that. mais is also the month when I'm going to Scotland for the European Championships.
My daddy caddy doesn't want me to do the MIRs because he estimates that at 8 years old, doing two 18-holes a weekend, that's seven 18-holes in a month and a half, what's more, yellow balls and alone, it's is way too much!!
He wants me to have fun and it's true that I still have trouble having fun on 18 holes. I have plenty of time...
Waiting on the way to the European Championships...
April 2010 : As I changed club, I also changed department so I took part in the Haute-Savoie departmental championships. I played on the 9 holes of Giez which I had never played. I was very stressed and I played very badly the first round until the lady who accompanied us gave me a magic kiss and I played +4 on the return which made me win.< /p>
2010 : I started lessons at my new golf school in Evian. The Training Center is truly a magical place that I adore. You can practice all the golf shots and the decor with the view of Lake Geneva is incredible. The maintenance and the equipment are really at the top.
I also played, for the first time, the first 9 holes of the Evian course.
A delight !!
Hole 2 is a par 3 where, between the tee and the green, there is a road on which cars pass and the green is below with quite a drop. I was afraid of hitting a car so I hit my 7 iron too hard and I went behind the mais green and made an approach put. I played + 6 of the blues, without knowing the course and in the rain... I should quickly play it in the first 9 holes. It's a great feeling to play on the course whereù I have seen the champions play on several occasions during the Evian Master.
The welcome in my new club was really great and I felt that everyone was really happy to see me... it feels good!!
February 2010 : Lots of snow so very little golf for this month of February. I did a lot of downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and especially skating. It's the first year that I've done it and I had fun even if at first it's not necessarily obvious. When I resumed training, between two snowfalls, I realized how much I had missed golf. I immediately regained my feelings, my ball contacts...
I also started to learn juggling with a great teacher: Manu Duchamp. He has a lot of patience because it's not easy, but I manage to juggle three balls.
January 2010 : Best wishes to all. May 2010 bring you lots of birdies...
The great novelty for this beginning of the year is that I have changed clubs. I am now at the Evian club. I regret leaving my pro Jimmy May and the youth manager Claude Noblet mais, obviously they were the only ones to share my sports project. I therefore thank them warmly as well as Fabien Rabaté for the others too bad for them they will not be able to prevent me from going to the end of my dream. I also reluctantly leave my two friends Lucas and Louis mais, we will continue to see each other and train together.
I can't wait for the season to start because it's been a good month since I touched a club and I miss it a lot.
mais I didn't waste my time because I started the piano with a great teacher who is a virtuoso: Jean Christophe Crapiz
and as the snow is there, I do a lot of skiing and climbing...
October 2009 : I made the final of the Elite Junior Tour at the Eurodisney golf course. Quickly forget!! As I grew 10 cm in a few months my clubs were too short and my caddy gave me new clubs 10 cm bigger except that he gave them to me on the day of the competition !! I had the impression of playing with extended arms... but hey, it's a stupidity that he won't do anymore... On the other hand, I made great encounters like Hugo Riboud, Alaric Mercie de Soultrait, Nathan Trey and Antoine Lefebvre who became my friends...
September 2009 : After a 15-day break spent by the sea, it's back to school. I really like school. It's less fun than golf but I have a good time too. I'm a year ahead so despite the fact that I just turned 8 this week Mayne I'm going to CM1.
The weekend of September 5/6 I went to Megève at the Green Velvet to see my friends Raphaël Jaquelin, Pierre-Antoine Missud... I still burst, there was superb weather and Megève is really a very beautiful place. On some holes of the course you could see Mont Blanc all ready, magnificent!!
August 2009 : We arrived in the US a few days ago and we started reconnaissance of the Mid Pine course, a superb course. The fairways are completely different from ours. They don't roll, are very soft and it's impossible for me to use my SW on the approach because it crashes into the ground, impossible to make a divot... The greens are also very different, I needed a seMayne to understand how to get in my putts, it's also very hot, around 40°C with big storms...
I can't wait for the competition to start but I'm still a little scared...
Yesterday there was the Olympics style parade. We paraded through the streets with the French flag. We are 7 French out of the more than 1300 participants...
I made about ten recons, all played around par (from 35 to 38) with birdies and bogeys which generally balanced each other out.
I found my friends Tim Sidel from Germany, Karl Vilips from Australia, Kian Luke Rose from South Africa... It's cool, we're getting to know each other well and we're always happy to get together and play together.
Karl has been in the US for two months, he has done 5/6 competitions. He arrived 3 weeks before us at Pinehurst...
Day 1 : Finally the competition begins.
We arrive 1 hour before tee time.
I'm lucky my departure is at 10:30 a.m. while the first leave at 7:10 a.m. and the last at 1:20 p.m. Small muscle awakening session at the driving range then approaches to finish with some putting.
It is already very hot. We arrive at the start, I play with two Americans that I do not know. After the announcement of my name I hit a correct drive despite my heart beating very fast and my legs shaking. It's my 3rd world championships but it's still impressive.
I swing well but putting, which is my strong point, struggled today. I spin around holes and miss putts that usually go in easily. Three commas on 9 holes... At hole number 5 my caddy gives me an 8 iron instead of a 9 which means that I find myself too long and he tells me that it is the wrong club! Result on the following holes when he gives me a club I still have doubts and I remember certain shots...
I rage and return a mediocre card of 41 or +5. However, I felt like I was playing well. I take all the greens in regulation, but I left a lot of points around the hole...
My other two partners of the day play 50 and 57.
Jour 2 : I leave again later 11:20 and with a Colombian and a Japanese.
Before departure we do as the day before. I'm concentrating on my putting and today I feel good about it. On the other hand, I have trouble with my rhythm when I swing.
My putting is there even if I miss one or two and one goes into the hole then comes out again I don't know how...
I return a card of 39, which is correct but nothing more, because I still left a lot of points on the approaches and I had no success with some bad rebounds, a branch touched...
My partners of the day return a card of 44 and 50.
I'm in the top 15 and one step away from the Top 10 and 4 from the top 5...
Day 3: As the departures are in the reverse order of the classification, I leave even later: 12:00 p.m.
It's very hot, around 40°c . I'm playing today with two Americans, including the one who won last year, Brett Sodetz.
My first putt of about 20m is much too long, I find myself 5/6m behind the hole.
Wow! it's rolling today. Result I make an entry bogey on this hole where I've never done it before even at the first rec...
Next hole, a par 3, my tee shot which is usually rather short, now it's too long!! Tricky approach and one more comma: another bogey.
I'm not playing well today but I'm hanging on.
Nothing is going well, nor my putting, Now I am too short with each putt because I am afraid of being too long like my first putt. Nor my swing. No rhythm, no confidence... I miss a lot of things that usually seem so easy to me.
Spectators encourage me because they can see that I don't play the way I know how to.
Today, an adorable friend, Michael D. Jones (aka Mike) who with his equally adorable wife Annie has a superb house on the course, follows us all the way to hang pictures. It's super nice of him but he's just unlucky. Me who wanted to play a good game, I find myself in a day without. No swing, no putting. This does not happen to me often and it is precisely not the day when it has to happen but that's how it is...
I am super super disappointed. I give up my worst card with a 44, just like Brett who didn't seem to play too badly. This puts me in the end 21st place.
No matter how much people tell me that it's great, that it's not bad... I know very well that it's not terrible and that I should and could have finished in the top five, but my lack of competitions in the US with its very special greens and fairways and especially its distances so well suited to children of our age but which does not exist in France, means that I missed out on my favorite competition.
but I'm only 7 years old and still a lot of competitions to come...
For the record, it's my friend Karl who wins. I'm really happy for him.
Can't wait for next year because I'm more motivated than ever.
After the competition our friend Mike who owns a Cesna 210 offers, to ease my pain, to take me on a tour to fly over Pinehurst and the surrounding area. He explains everything to me in detail.
It's AWESOME!! I'm having fun like crazy. I see the course that I have just played and seen from above it seems very small. THANK YOU again Mike.
After we hit the road to guess what??
Go to Akron to see......... Tiger Woods who is also playing his world championships in the Bridgestone Invitational.
Incredible isn't it?
It is actually Christian Cevaer who invites us.
We arrive at 7am, there are already players at the driving range.
I recognize Gregory Havret, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia...
There are all the best in the world. It's hot, I'm tired but I'm having one of the best days of my life. A huge thank you to Christian and Frederic Lecomte.
Tiger does not play until 2 p.m.
So we follow Christian about ten holes, being discreet because we are told that we must not talk to the players... Then we start at the 2nd to watch all the players pass one by one.
It is magic.
We were supposed to go eat with Christian but we don't understand so finally he goes back to the airport but it's only gone...
In the meantime Tiger has started. I want to follow all his part. There are a lot of people, you have to run. I weave between people to always be well placed.
It's impressive to see Tiger, he's super focused.
He plays with Padraig Harrington who I like too.
Tiger starts three shots behind but he makes 1 birdie, an eagle, then another birdie, the class!
Between holes 2 and 3 I encourage Padraig, he comes towards me and gives me his ball!!
I have tears in my eyes, everyone applauds... I'm HAPPY.
People are screaming. There are even some who shout "In a hole " when TW tees off for a par 5. He must not know how to play golf this one because it's impossible to put the ball in the hole more than 500 meters away.
If I had known, I would have encouraged Christian by shouting like them.
Besides, I find that it's not easy for the parts in front and especially for Harrington because people make a lot of noise except when Tiger is playing and he has barely hit his ball when the huge crowd shouts, screams...
I won't tell the part because you have certainly seen it on TV but this day made me want to be in their place even more and after my disappointment at Pinehurst I come home even more motivated than ever to go train again and again...
July 2009 : After a month of June without major events, I participated at the beginning of July in the GM EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Switzerland on the sublime course of Cran Montana. Three days of exhausting competition because we played the 9 holes in more than 3 hours (for 1h45 normally) it was endless and I finished 2nd one shot behind a 9 year old Kenyan by not playing really well. The top is that I was able to see and discuss with Adam SCOTT who obviously lives in Cran. He used to play practice games with his mother and I would have liked to play with him...
I've grown a lot over the past year and muscularly as well, so we've started to make profound changes to my swing. Some will say that it's not the right time but to stay among the best in the world you have to know how to take risks... I drive at 170m and the objective is to exceed 200m in a few months while continuing to progress in my favorite sectors which are the small game and especially what I adore; putting.
Two days after this exhausting seMayne there were the regionals but, which I prefer to quickly forget...
After a short break of a few days to recover, I resumed training with great enthusiasm until the departure for the USA 15 days before the World Championships in Pinehurst...
Oh yes! I almost forgot, I went to Evian to see the Evian master on Sunday and I managed to get the autographs I wanted to know: Michelle Wie , Lorena Otchoa , Paula Creamer and especially that of Zinedine Zidane!
He is really big and impressive but above all super nice.
I talked to him but he doesn't play golf, too bad I would have played a round with him...
I was super happy with my day!!
May 2009 : It's okay, we're back from USKIDS European Championships which took place in Scotland.
I make a "small" 8th place. I say "small" because the victory did not go far.
The first day at the start of hole 4 there was a wind of 50/60 km/h, I slam a super drive in draw and... a gust of wind of wind of 90/100 km/h releases my ball at an angle straight to the wild beach that runs along the hole, incredible !!
A twist of fate... My second tee shot, I force it a little, I cut my ball and it hits the beach again...
I'm furious, I curse... My legs are shaking for my 3rd tee shot and phew it's on the fairway... in the end I do a quadruple bogey on this par 5.
The rest of the day was long and difficult, I was afraid of the wind...even when putting! I play +6.
The second day I managed to play my game almost normally even though there was still this wind...
I'm playing -2 and with some success I could have played -5 or -6.
On the third day, I was out of my swing, no rhythm.
Probably tired, but I held on and returned a card of - 3.
So I finished only 6 shots from the first and I was first overall on days 2 and 3, without this gust of wind...
but once again I learned a lot during this International competition.
One, that I have to hold on and stay in my game even if mishaps happen to me.
Two, I can manage to score well even if my big game is not good that day.
Three, that I have very good mental resources.
Four, I can play two days in a row under par in a major international competition...
In total I make 6 birdies – 17 leaves – 3 bogeys and a quadruple.
Friday I spent training at Saint Adrews with my buddy Ewen. GREAT!!
It's soon the European Championships in Scotland so I'm training a lot to be ready on "D" day, well "D" days since the competition lasts three days.
My little brother Rémy aged 3 1/2 won his first two competitions. During the last kids cup of My Club de Charmeil he won against much bigger than him and he made a hole in the play-off with the winners of each category and there he almost won against my friend Louis ranked 20... A great moment...
April 2009 : I did a Kid's cup plus a small departmental competition and I won both. The European championships are coming up and I'm training a lot, especially in short games. The other day on the course I imagined a little song that I find funny:
A white ball,
Who was rolling in the grass,
I hit it with My club,
I show it to my caddy,
My caddy tells me,
Type it in draw,
Tap it fade,
it will make a very nice birdie.
2009 : For the first time, Isère won THE REGIONAL FINAL LITTLE GOLFERS TROPHY.
With my team we played at the Commanderie.
It was very cold.
The ground was soggy.
We had to get up at 4:30 in the morning (with the difference of one hour).
Unfortunately the cart was prohibited so I had to pull my cart alone. His wheels were full of mud. It weighed at least a ton.
I had fun 5/6 holes after it was really a hassle.
I ended up exhausted.
And luckily there were only 12 holes to go. I hope that one day mentalities will change and that they will understand that we children are here to have fun and have fun and that pushing a cart full of mud, transiting cold... it doesn't nothing fun when you're 7 years old.
Forbidding parents to help us on the pretext that there were parents who behaved badly a few years ago is really not going in the right direction.
but hey, we won...
Like last year, we went to the golf fair for 3 days. I had a lot of fun even if we found him less good than in 2008. We were on the USKID'S stand with Vincent Thibault, he's a guy really good !!
February 2009 : After a little resumption of training around January 20, interspersed with great skiing outings, I took part in the Snow Golf Cup in Megève is a golf competition on snow. It's fun to play golf on the snow and to cross the ski slopes with skiers who look at us like Martians!! The sensations are completely different than on grass and the ball does not roll at all even on the greens. but I much prefer to play on grass.
Then during the school holidays I did a big golf course with my golf school. It was nice because for the first time Jimmy mixed us with the biggest ranked 5 and under.
As I am now 1m35 we had to change my clubs. I keep USKIDS off course. We also changed my Ping putter to a Craz-E iWi which was modified to suit my putting style. I like !!
January 2009 : Best Wishes of happiness for this new year. Lots of joy and prosperity, success and friendship and above all good health for all.
My year 2008 was super exciting. I've been through a lot of amazing things but I think 2009 is going to be even better...
As in 2008, I will repeat the European Championships in Scotland at the end of May. Then mid-July perhaps the Callaway in San Diego followed by the world championships in Pinehurst. The French championships of the Elite Junior Tour in November and to end the year , possibly the Doral mid-December in Florida.
Quiet resumption of training around January 20.
December 2008 : I did a judo competition with My club: "Le challenge des petits Samouraïs" and I won my three fights by ippon. I really like judo, the atmosphere is completely different from golf and I'm learning a lot of things that will help me in golf...
I also won the last Kid's cup of the year, then the snow came.
So we started skiing.
I went to spend a day at the Sports Stars in La Plagne. A magical day. We ate lunch with Raphaël Jacquelin and Guy Forget. I then spoke with Alain Bogossian and many other athletes I had seen on TV, especially during the Olympic Games. It was GREAT, FABULOUS... I also had fun with Romane, Raphël's son.
I gave a golf lesson to Tony Estanguet and Antoine Dénériaz because we hit soft balls in a gymnasium, it was fun. In the evening, during the awards ceremony, there was an impressive number of great champions in the room, such as Stéphane Diagana, Jackson Richardson, Marie-José Perec, Fabien Galtier and many others that I did not know. In short, a day that I am not ready to forget.
As the snow is here and there, I put my clubs away in the garage for a while but I miss them already.
Have a good holiday season.
November 2008: Nothing in particular at the end of the season, I won a kid's cup in My Club de Charmeil with a 5-stroke lead. For 1 month, I have been playing ice hockey at the Brûleur de loups. I'm really having fun.
October 2008: I took part in the final of the Elite Junior Tour on 26/27 October at Eurodisney. I finished 1st of the 7 year olds and 3rd of the 8 year olds.
but it hasn't been my day.
I circled around the holes the whole game. A real lack of success. Even my last 6m putt hit the mat and stayed 2cm from the hole. I put a ball in the water for 10 small cm...
In short, it's golf!!
I played +5 ex æquo with the 2nd of the 8 year olds and two short strokes from the first.
The Junior Elite Tour is really my favorite competition in France. Lionel Monce and his whole team really try to make things fun while playing seriously. We have adapted distances (and not 50m starts or red balls) and the possibility that at our age we will still be helped... They are inspired by the world championships and that is really smart.
A HUGE thank you to them.
This weekend a team from TF1 with Yann Hovine came from Paris to film me... The report should be on the 8 p.m. news this Thursday, October 23...
October 12, 2008!! At 7 years and 45 days I succeeded my first HOLE-IN-ONE and in competition during the regional championships at the Seyssins golf course. It was a par 3 of 123 m. I played a little wood 5. As the ground was hilly we did not see the ball go in.
Arriving on the green there was no ball, weird!!
Someone said "but maybe she's in the hole!!?? "
I went to see very slowly and.... yesiiii she was there, I was overjoyed, my heart was beating so hard that it hurt me... I will remember this for the rest of my life!! I didn't win a car but I got a gold medal...
FYI, my friend Tiger made his first hole-in-one at 8 years old but he doesn't say if it was in competition ;-)) (source: his website in the "Did you know" section page 3)
September 2008: I almost forgot!! I played a competition in Bresson (it's still rare for me to play 18 holes) and I played 89 of the reds, which means that my index is 29 Now...
Just spent a MAGIC weekend in Megève at the GREEN VELVET. A huge thank you to Fabrice Tarnaud and Pierre-Antoine Missud for allowing me to experience this as well as to Pascal and Martine Philippe. You can see the report here:
I did my first press conference surrounded by 6 French pros: Jean François Luquin, Jean François Remesy, Jean Batiste Gonnet, Raphaël Jacquelin, Gregory Havret and Marc Antoine Farry.
Can you imagine that!!!
I answered questions from journalists and listened carefully to what the pros were saying. Then there was the gala evening where I had to put on my golf suit and tie. There came Christian Cévaër and Michael Lorenzo Vera with whom I talked a lot.
There was an auction of golf articles donated and autographed by the players for the benefit of the Petits Princes association.
On Saturday morning there was a pro-am and I was able to closely follow some of the pros like Michael, Raphaël, Jean Baptiste and I even caddyed Bérine Tarnaud. I loved !!
Afternoon guess!! I did a precision competition on 2 holes with the 8 French pros. Approach at 100 m you had to be as close as possible to the flag. There were a lot of spectators. In addition they were really very very close to us. I hit the last one and I put my ball about 4 meters from the flag allowing me to finish 4th !! but I won't tell you who I beat ;-))
Then we had to exit the bunker 50m from the flag and there the same thing happened, my ball was about 4m from the mast and I finished 3rd!!!!
A huge treat!!
I still had my legs shaking and my heart beating at 200 an hour. I will remember it for a long time...
After
they all came to congratulate me. They are all really super nice.
You should see this on Sport+ sometime in October.
The general atmosphere and the organization of the Green Velvet was really great. I hope I can go back there for many more years and I urge you to go there next year.
You can see other photos on my page "Photos"
Fabrice Tarnaud surprised me by inviting me to the GREEN VELVET he is organizing in Megève at the Mont d'Arbois golf course in September 18 to 21 After the gala evening organized for the benefit of the Petits Princes association, I will have the tremendous pleasure of playing a "Shoot Out" with the 8 best French pro players: Michael Lorenzo-Vera, Gregory Havret, Raphaël Jacquelin, Christian Cévaër, Jean-François Lucquin, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Jean-François Remesy, Marc-Antoine Farry and me the little Tom I will be the 9th!!
Can you imagine that??
I can't wait to be there, we're going to have fun and don't worry, I'll tell you in detail...
After a short break of 15 days I resumed training when we had said a month without golf but I missed golf too much.
It's back to school. I'm happy to see my classmates again.
I also discovered karting. It's really awesome. I had a blast and I'm only 1s 752 from the track record in the -30kg minikart category after only 2 sessions. September and October are going to be busy but I'll tell you...
August 2008 : 3rd and last day of the tournament.
Departure in the last parts, so getting up at 8:30 am is perfect. Shower, breakfast. and off to the competition.
Small approach warm-up, then a bucket of balls at the driving range, return approaches followed by putting. It is already very hot. A cart takes us to the start.
Starter announcement, I play first and drive a little to the right. Second shot of 67 m, I miss my shot and I stay too short. I have to make an approach to the pitch and I go straight in!!! Cooooool, a birdie the day is going to be good and I'm going to win.
Hole 2 par 3: I miss my 8 iron shot and the ball goes behind the green. My approach is too short and I make two putts, the second is 5 cm from the hole. Ouch!! Back to zero.
Hole 3 par 5 : Correct drive, hybrid a little cut my finished ball in the bunker which defends the green. Nice outing but a bit short. 2 putts.
Hole 4 by 4: Drive a little to the right. I have to get a shot from Sand over that big bunker but the flag is behind. I put my 4m ball to the right. My putt is too strong and I pass the 2m hole but I enter the next putt phew!!
Hole 5 par 4 : This time I put my drive to the left and I still have a big bunker to pass. I hit it well but my ball flies to the end of the green. I have a 20m downhill putt to make. It's a long putt and I hit it way too hard and go through the 6m hole and make two putts. Ouch have a bogey. This time I have to attack to make birdies if I want to win.
Hole 6 par 5 : My drive is straight but a little shorter than usual. My second shot, I play a hybrid to attack the pin but I don't accelerate enough and my ball ends up in the bunker. No big deal, I love bunker exits. I'm going for a nice outing but once again I'm not accelerating enough and my ball is still too short compared to the mast. I have a 5m slightly uphill putt to make. I remember the greens rolling a lot. and my putt is still 2m too short!!! I don't understand anything about these greens. I absolutely have to return this putt to stay in the race. And I miss it.
I'm exploding. I can't win anymore, I have rage, tears flood my eyes. I don't like golf anymore.
At the start of the 7 a par 4, I still can't calm down. I am unbalanced and my ball goes to the right and ends up on a path. I have the right to a free drop but if I do I have a big branch that stands in my way.
So with my caddy we decide that I'm going to play the ball whereù she is punched with a 7 iron shot. It's a difficult shot but I hit it well and my ball is in two on the green. Phew. but I lost the competition and I can't get that out of my head. I have a 15m putt to make and I remember the greens are. fast. and I stay much too short. I still want to hit my second putt. My ball stops 1 cm from the hole. another buggy. I have the impression that everyone is mad at me, I even see a lady who is making fun of me. I tell my caddy who tells me I'm stupid. He tries to calm me down and reassure me, but I I wanted to win so much.
The 8 is a very difficult par three, I don't think I'm going to make it. I get shaken a little by my caddy who tells me if it's that I think it's not worth playing it and that I've already done it well. finally my Iron5 arrives on the green but I'm afraid to putt, I remember that the greens are fast. my putt is two meters and the next one goes to the left of the hole which gives me another boggey.
For the 9 I don't want to play it anymore, I'm out of juice. I send a scratch drive, I have to hit a 5 iron (the other days it was a pitch !!) to get the green, which I do but my ball is at the bottom of the green. I have a 15m putt but my ball only rolls 10m, the next putt is more supported, it exceeds the hole by 40cm and guess what, my eyes are full of tears and I can't see the hole, I misses this little putt to end up with a double bogey and a catastrophic card of 42 or +6 !!!
What a tough experience.
I finally finished 26th by playing in the end + 12 over the 3 days whereas if I had stuck to hole 6 I could have finished 11th or even less.< /p>
You could say that I missed my world championships even though I am now 26th player in the world !!
I could do much better.
but I I like competition, I like to winand especially I like golf and that I will continue to m train again and again and that I will come back next year with the same desire to win.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An other bad day !!
+ 4 in the snatch. My putting, which is usually my strong point, there's nothing!!
There were heavy thunderstorms last night , the greens were wet and strangely they rolled a lot, it's impossible to understand anything anymore.
The draw for departure made me leave at 9:01 a.m., so I got up at 6 a.m. it's really not my thing to get up so early, it took me more than half an hour to wake up and still after we put thrown in the shower.
I wanted to do well today so much that in the end the opposite happened. Instead of belaying the putts and putting it "given" as my caddy told me, I attacked the holes, and as often in these cases, my ball exceeded the hole by 3m.
Hole 1 par 4 : After the call from my friend the starter, I plant a super drive 40 or 50 m longer than my partners of the day. A shot of cut sand which leaves on the left whereas I had a small approach of 30m to make, I find myself with 2m of the green. Approach that stays to the right and too long, follow two putts. I start my day badly with a boggey. Flute of goat droppings I'm going to have to attack to catch up with this blow.
Hole 2 par 3 : 8 iron swings well, my ball pitches two meters from the pin full axis and passes two centimeters from the hole but goes 4 meters behind. I try to tuck in the putt but it's still 5cm too short!!
Hole 3 par 5: Superb drive, followed by a hybrid shot that stays two meters from the green. Approach to the pitch a little long, my ball is 5 m behind the flag. My caddy tells me to put it "given" but I want to put it in. wow this green is fast, my ball ends up on the other side of the hole but at least 3m50 away. My second putt is 10 cm too short, because in this sense it rolls much less. Ouch have another boggey, that gives me two shots to catch up.
Hole 4 by 4: Medium drive, slightly long 9-iron. Putted approach but two meters from the hole. I go two putts and one more boggeys.
Hole 5 par 4: Correct drive but a little to the left, I have to go over a large bunker to get to the green, which I do on the sand. My ball is behind the 4m flag. The putt is downhill with a slope and as earlier I found the greens very fast, I putt very softly and my ball stopped 40 cm from the centerline hole. damn a dud birdie.
Hole 6 par 5: My disaster hole yesterday! There I will not be fooled and I can eagle on this hole as I did in training. My drive is correct without more. My second shot, a hybrid, goes a little to the left and I find myself level with the green but in the rough. Pitch shot that I try to get my ball close to the hole which deflects it but stops at 4m. I try to return the putt on a slope but my ball goes 5 cm to the left. I cry with rage. I eat my putter. I only do the par!! My caddy tells me par is great, but I wanted to do an eagle, he doesn't understand anything.
Hole 7 par 4 : I find it hard to calm myself down, I'm so angry. So I make a medium 5 wood start which forces me to do a 40 m sandblast above a huge bunker. Great shot but my ball rolls on this ultra fast green and stop 10m from the flag!! As it rolls I make a soft putt but so soft that it stops 4m from the hole. The next putt, my eyes are full of water and the ball exceeds the hole by 80cm and I enter the next one. another buggy.
Hole 8 par 3 : The toughest part of the course. I can't manage to calm my rage... My caddy asks the others to play first and tries to reassure me but I'm afraid of missing my 5-iron shot. Finally I plant the green. I putt for birdie but my ball stops 2 cm from the hole. that's not true!!!!
Hole 9 par 4: While going to the start my caddy speaks to me a lot for myself reassure and try to make me laugh but I can't. Yet he is funny;-))
One of the other caddies comes to see me to tell me that I'm a great player, that I have great game maturity, a great swing, that I'm sure I'm going to become a great player. but now I want to be that great player!!
He's still nice so I give him a good drive but a little to the right. 60m pitch shot over a huge bunker, everyone cheered my ball must be on the mat !! but no, it is at least 5 m behind. Well I'm going two putts and therefore no birdie today when I made it on all his holes during training. understand nothing about this game. Besides, I don't know who to call this "game". because I didn't have fun today.
I am therefore 19th, 3 strokes from 8th and 6th on the podium.
DeMayn.
-------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------
The night was difficult so wake him up too. It was very hot today (+ 40°c) with an unpleasant dampness. The storms arrived in the middle of the afternoon preventing certain parts of 18 holes from finishing.
Bad start. I played +2
It's not bad you will tell me, yes, but in recce I played 31 and 32 (Par 36) 1 bogey, and especially a double on a par 5 where usually I play eagle or birdie. And I only made one birdie out of the four or five I tried to get in.
Well, I'm only 3 shots from second place.
I played with two Texans who played 48 and 50. What made the pace was slow was a long wait. at least i played all tee times first;-))
We arrived an hour and a half before my departure, a little warm-up on the approaches followed by a half seal at the practice but already there it was very, very hot. Back to approaches and putting. Then a cart driven by a grandmother took us to the start. A gentleman, whom I am starting to know, called us: “Participant in the 9th world championships for children aged 12 and under representing France and coming from Grenoble we called from tee n°1 Tom Gueant ". It's always weird, but I saw at the Evian Master or the Canadian Open that they did this for the pros so I find it funny, even if it puts a little pressure.
So at tee number one a good drive followed by a well-placed pitch shot puts me in birdie position. My put remains 10 cm to the left. Too bad a miss.
Hole 2 par 3, 8 iron shot on the green but far enough from the pin. A badly apprehended long putt and I make a 3 putts! Have a bogey.
Here the greens are weird, they roll a lot in one direction but not in the other and looking at them even from very close you can't see the direction of the roll. They call it “ grass ” I believe. Even the fairways are different from ours. To make a divot is almost impossible, there are so many roots under the grass that it stops the clubhead.
Hole 3 a par 5. I'm on the front green in 2 but I completely miss my approach that I wanted to go in to make an eagle. Follow two putts including one of 3 or 4 cm) I wanted to make an eagle finally I miss a birdie !! I should have listened to my caddy.
Hole 4 a par 4. Head in the clouds, I completely miss my drive forcing me to play a 7 iron (instead of a pitch usually) which I still put on the putting green. Plus two putts, one of which is 5 cm, another missed birdie.
Hole 5 a par 4: Nice drive followed by a 9 iron approach plus two putts. Nothing to say.
Hole 6 a par 5: I like this one, well usually. I don't know what I thought at the start but I sent my drive into a bunker completely to the left and only 70 m away while the fairways on the right are very wide and downhill... My two other partners m followed!! I wanted to take a 7 iron to go forward, but my ball hit the lip and stayed inside!!! Disaster!! I took a 9 iron which I took out followed by a 7 iron which I put on the green but away from the pin. Good in 4 on the green after two horrible shots, it's fine. but since I didn't want to boggey I attacked my 12m putt to put it in. result a three putts and a double boggey!!! I've been training here for ten days and I've never done one before and now I'm doing one in competition!!!!
It's not just golf!!
Hole 7 par 4: We forget the disaster hole of 6. Wood 5 medium, nice Sand of 45m my ball is 5m from the flag with a downhill putt and slopes. I'm taking it back!! Finally a birdie that I was not expecting this one. Ah, that relaxes me. I find myself smiling a little. The spectators applauded.
Hole 8 par 3: This hole is horrible. The green is high up, defended by a huge bunker on the left and another on the right. I take a 5 Iron that I send on the green. Phew!! Two putts, one of which is less than 10 cm. Definitely not my birdie day.
Hole 9 a par 4: There is water on the left. but I found the fries and I hit a superb draw drive. Too long a pitch approach and two putts.
This is my first day live at the world championships. DeMayn, up even earlier, my departure is at 9 a.m. (3 p.m. in France).
So the sequel to Mayn.
July 2008 : Finally I'm at the World Championships. Like the ones I've done last year they were held in Pinehurst, North Carolina. This is where the 2005 US Open took place, where Michael Campbell had won...
It's a place that I love, it's magical. Pinehurst is eight 18 holes with the famous No. 2 course known throughout the world. There are, it seems, 43 golf courses over 15 miles around. It is very hot (35-40°c) but it smells of golf everywhere. The people here are really very nice and very welcoming.
As for the world championships, there are just under 1300 children from around thirty countries!!
And guess how many French??
5 !!
And yes, it's not a joke. There is another boy of 11 years old Jean Lacroix and 3 girls of 11 and 12 years old.
The Chinese are a good quarantine, a real delegation with the same yellow outfit.
It's been a week since I arrived. I must have played a dozen times the course that I already knew since it's the same one I played at 5 years old last year. My best scores are 31 (-5) / 32 (-4) / 34 (-2) on this par 36. It seems shorter to me this year. I managed to make birdies on all the holes, I still have to do them in the same part ;-))
There are a hundred children in my 6-year-old category. This is also the first time that I will compete with children of my age. Usually I'm the youngest by far. We are about fifteen foreigners which makes a very big majority of Americans. On the first day, I will therefore play with two of them. My departure is at 10:18 a.m. (4:18 p.m. in France) which is perfect for me. Some leave at 7 a.m., which is super early, and others at 12:30 p.m. It's very hot.
I can't wait for the competition to begin!!
Tonight there was the opening ceremony with a parade of nations through the streets of Pinehurst was fun. It looked like the Olympics. There were many people along the streets. I thought it was a bit short, I would have ed for an hour. Then there were the speeches, the little American who sang the American anthem.
After a splash in the hotel swimming pool (a moment that I love) head to sleep to be in shape because despite everything, up at 7 a.m. to be wide awake at the start.
The sequel to Mayn.
Thank you to those who helped me to prepare as well as possible for these World Championships, namely: my trainer Jimmy May, my coaches Olivier Knumpfer and Frédéric Lecomte, Jean Philippe Boulard (Golf Uriage), Didier Revilliod, Bruno Pardi, Alexis (Golf Bresson), Vincent Thibault, the Evian Training Center, mom and dad and especially Renald Quatrehomme.
May 2008 : Competition is went well. I finished first of the 6 year olds and 20th of the 7 year olds. but the easiest way is to read my story day by day on www.golf-zone.com
It's good!! Just had my first day of competition at U.S. Kids Golf
European Championship. A card of +6 with a wind of madness...
I am counting and relieved that the competition is finally starting!!
You can follow in detail all my trip on the site of www.golf-zone.com whereù I have been telling my adventure daily since Saturday. I'll put more photos and impressions here when I get back...
At the end of May I'm going to the European Championships in Scotland, I can't wait to be there. It will be difficult because the others will still be older and I have never played on links but it will still be a great experience.
The surprise I announced for May 16 is postponed to a later date, I will keep you posted...
April 2008 : I trained a lot this month especially during the school holidays when I did 2 training sessions a day when the weather was nice. I won the first phase of the departmental championships with 68 on 18 holes laid out in a short game but I had a lot of trouble concentrating... My friend Mickael Lorenzo Verra was 2nd at the China Open and 6th the following week in Mayne Singapore, he is really too classy, he will soon win many tournaments I tell you...
M6 did a report for the magazine 100% mag. There were 3 days of filming to do this 6-minute portrait which I find really well done - Thank you Jacques and Jean Marc.
2008: I was invited by Marc ASSOUS the organizer of the Paris golf show, which took place from 15 to 17, to come and give demonstrations.
I enjoyed it !!
It was better than Eurodisney.
It had been 3 minutes since we arrived and Marc ASSOUS called me to hit balls with a gentleman called Dany BOON, I don't know who he is, but a lot of people were watching and they were bothering him all the time to have their picture taken with him.
I stayed at the salon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday I hit balls for at least 8 hours on an AMAZING golf simulator!
This is the GOLFZON brand. We are on a plateau that tilts depending on where it is. is the ball on the course, he films your gesture and shows you the video right after, he also gives you full information about your swing...
There was also M6 who followed me all day...
In the afternoon I won a putting contest and then I did a putting contest against Julien Quesne, he is really very nice, I gave him an autograph and he even knows how to read attached, yes yes I I asked!!
Frankly, go there next year it's really worth it.
Then I went to train at the Training Center in Evian.
This too is GREAT.
There are all possible golf shots imaginable.
There is even a box with 4 cameras to analyze the swing and the people are very nice and welcoming. And it is really very beautiful. Too bad we don't live in Evian.
Otherwise I continue to train almost every day, it's too "bland" (funny for those who didn't understand ;-))
I can't wait for the competitions to start...
February 2008: He is so beautiful that my daily training is done only on the course. I've only hit one bucket of balls since the beginning of the year...
I did an internship in My club in Charmeil with Jimmy during the first week of the holidays.
January 2008: First of all, my best wishes for health and happiness to all and especially to those who support me...
My year 2008 is going to be an even more exciting year than 2007.
I must indeed play the European Championships in Scotland at the end of May. Then mid-July maybe the Callaway in San Diego followed by the world championships in Pinehurst whereù this time I qualified directly. The French Championships of the Junior Elite Tour in November and to end the year, perhaps the Doral in mid-December in Florida.
And of course the departmental and regional championships as in 2007.
Nice program, isn't it?
I did a little quiet resumption of training around January 20th.
December 2007: After a last Kids cup whereù I finished 3rd, I had a virus... so I took a 45-day break without golf!!
November 2007: Despite a difficult month of October, I participated in the final of the French championships of the Elite Junior Tour on 2/3 November.
I finished 3rd of the 7/8 year olds (even though I just turned 6!!).
It's really a great competition, thank you to the organizers for this great initiative. I really enjoyed myself and had a lot of fun.
I played +4 on 9 holes (Par 36). The first (+1) at almost 9 years old and the second (+2) at 8 years old.
It was on the route of Marcilly. The welcome is great, everyone is really very nice.... I find that the course is not very difficult even if it was drizzling and the ground was very greasy. Strongly next year I go back.
October 2007 : I took part in the 2nd day of the final of the Rhône Alpes league for 10 years and under at New Golf in Valence. I finished 1st at the end of the two days.
Since I have a virus that puts me HS and I already had to miss 15 days of school.
So no golf...
September 2007: It's back to school in CE1 and I find my school friends. It's cool !!
The 26th is the resumption of my golf school in Charmeil.
August 2007 : The month of August will definitely have been busy. I did a competition in Bresson where for the first time I played the 18 holes and I made 109 or 36 above par starting from the red balls.
This means that my index is now 43.7 at not yet 6 years old!!
I had fun and enjoyed myself.
Ah if I had played like that at the world championships...
It's done, I played my first world championships of the under 10 at Pinehurst (where there was the US open in 2005) I finished 74th. It's not terrible, I know, but I was one of the youngest and I finished first of the 5-year-olds (unofficially because the category doesn't exist). There were about 1200 children from 33 countries...
but the experience was great and beautiful.
I learned a lot, a lot, of things in one weekMayne.
My shopping cart too ;-}
It was very very hot: 35 to 39 degrees in the shade (they had installed two huge fans on two greens where there was no shade - it made a lot of noise...)
The trip by car was very long: 18 hours to go there almost non-stop.
Once there, we could play on the course of the competition so I did two training courses where I played 43 and 36. The par on this 9 hole is 36 (2 par 5 - 2 par 3 - 5 par 4).
Everyone has been talking to me about this competition for a long time... I received a lot of encouragement... I really wanted to do well to please all these people, especially Jimmy, to Bruno, to Régis, to Rémi, to Alexis, to Jean, to Jean-Marc...
Even though my dad told me that I was there to learn and that I had to have fun and take a max of pleasure, the first day of the competition I was nervous.
I arrived at the driving range and there were players who were hitting well. I wanted to do the same and since I wasn't warmed up I had trouble hitting the ball well...
At hole number 1 the announcer called me "Participant in the 8th Pinehurst World Championship - Tom Gueant - Grenoble - France"
Wow that's weird... people cheered, my legs were shaking and my heart was beating hard but I still hit a good drive...
The whole game I was afraid, afraid of not playing well... and so... I played badly by returning a card of 48!!
On the second day, I had to get up at 6 am. I wanted to play well and I played well.
but I really had no luck (you need some from time to time!)
My caddy made a club mistake (iron5 instead of sandwedge) it cost me at least 4 shots (but I forgive him)...
A rake was left in the middle of a 30m wide fairway bunker, and I hit the rake which stopped my ball after 20m with my 3 wood when I should have done at least 90m and go in 2 on the green of a par 5...
Result, I took two shots to get out of the bunker and once out I was only 5 m from the bunker, so I lost, because of this damn rake, at least 2/3 shots...
The same day I made 3 commas, then my ball stopped once 1 cm from the hole for a birdie and I missed a 20 cm putt because I played it too fast (that's 200% my fault)... in short I could have made 34/36 but I only made 44!!
but it's the golf...
The last day, I woke up again at 6 am, it was already 30 degrees. I had trouble waking up and besides, I never woke up...
I was exhausted, no more strength, I really wanted to play well but I never got there. (5 courses in 5 days at 5 years old, it's too much, my caddy still mismanaged ;-} especially since I had never done it before...)
My drives were at least 30/40m shorter than usual.
And putting, which is my strong point , I putted like a "cow"!! My putts were all too short. The greens were super slow and my putter super heavy... I even managed to make a 5 putt... I even missed the last 20 cm putt (another one!!)... anyway I returned a card of 49!!
Here I am very disappointed, because if I had played my level (35 to 40) I could have finished in the top 10!!!
but next year I will have more experience, one more year of golf and training, 10 cm longer, more strength, more maturity, more. .. a better shopping cart ;-)... and I would be always in the same category and there I want to win...
So in the end, I'm not that disappointed, since I learned so many things that will make me even stronger and one thing is for sure, I love competition.
A BIG thank you to those who helped me: Jimmy May - Bruno Pardi - my godfather Serge and especially to my uncle Jonathan Ruben and my aunt Christelle without forgetting Talia because without them this adventure would not have been possible.
July 2007 : I am in Canada and the USA for a month and a half. It's super cool. - I managed to qualify (playing 35 on a par 36) for the final of the 10 and under World Championships. So I'm going to play a 3 day competition at Pinehurst (where the US Open was in 2005) it's going to be great I'm going to have a lot of fun and I'll be one of the youngest so... He there will be more than 1000 children from 33 countries but I only speak French and a little English so it will be difficult to play with them.
- I was supposed to do two competitions in Canada but I got sick so I couldn't do them. but I trained in different clubs and on a double-decker driving range, it was great, there was a car in the field as a target... I even went to train in a giant bubble!!
- I went to see the Canadian Open. There was Jim Furick, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh... and Chris Dimarco signed me and gave me his glove!! I found it very big.
Mike Weir hit me in the Mayn going from hole 15 to 16, he's not very tall but he's super nice...
It was a really nice day.
- I did gym and stretching sessions with a coach at SHAPE (www.shapetoronto .com) it was awesome!!
June 2007: I continued to practice. School is over, long live the holidays. I will be able to play golf even more...
April 2007:It's the Easter holidays! On the program a 9-hole course per day on a different golf course each day and with my friends.
M6 came to film me, the report aired on April 5th.
May 2007: I did an internship with Jean-Marc Ausseil at Uriage and I continue to train. I had my first index: 52.5 by not playing well that day, which means that it should go down quickly... well I hope ;-)) So I achieved one of my January goals, remains the second Maynow...
I did a competition with adults: The Thomas Cook at Uriage! Reds I played +54 on Saturday and +50 on Sunday in the pouring rain.
The people I played with were very nice even if it felt weird to play with a 5-year-old boy!
I beat both ladies on Sunday and in the end 12 adults!!
2007: After being filmed by France3 Grenoble I gave a short golf demonstration on a Grenoble ice rink in front of more than 3500 people. I had fun, it was fun and The Wolf Burners won!!
Golf school has finally resumed!
I was really happy to see my friends Arthur, Cyriac,
Antonin, Valentin, Mathis, Mathéo and Camille.
I continued to hit balls on the ice rink, at the last ball I fell, it made me laugh. Grenoble (The Wolf burners) in GANGNé
the final was awesome!!
February 2007 :I continue to train every day for at least 30 minutes and 1h30 on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
I did an internship in Charmeil with Jimmy, the second week of the school holidays.
January 2007: Best wishes to everyone!!
As the weather is very nice, we continue training on the ground and a little in the room that my dad has set up for me.
I was only able to do two days of skiing and now there is no more snow, so we continue to play golf.
My Objectives for 2007:
- I would like to be classified this spring.
- Going to the USA this summer to do the world championships for under 10s...
- Always take as much pleasure in playing golf.
December 2006 : As the weather is nice, we continue training on the ground, even if there is a little snow!
November 2006:
- Detection course of the Isère committee at the Bièvre golf course
- Inter-regional Flags Final: I finished 2nd one shot behind the first in the yellow flag category.
As there was a pro who was doing a clinic, I took the opportunity to accompany him!!
So you can see on this video my first clinic at 5 years old ;-)
September 2006: Back to school at CP
Yes, as I can read, write (well almost!!), do additions, subtractions... I skipped a class. It's cool to be with older people. There are also CE1s in my class. And I have two mistresses: Véronique and Lucette
July 2006: Visit of the EVIAN MASTER
PS. For the photo my dad did what he could...LOL!!
|
The Mexican champion Lorena OCHOA is really the nicest!! |