Hello Anaïs. You have been playing for Letas for four years, what is your program and your objective for this season… if it takes place normally?

It is difficult to project very far given the circumstances. I resumed physical preparation last November and I will be training until next April, where there will hopefully be the Tournée des Landes (TTLS). Before that, I will try to participate in a few Pro-Am and find a way to "play". My goal is to finish in the Top 5 of LETAS and to join LET next year. 2020 was a bit of a sabbatical, I left LETAS because there was no climb possible and I participated in only two LET tournaments, in the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

What is your dream as a golfer?

Play on the LPGA and earn a Major. If it is necessary to choose, of course I take Evian, but I also take the others otherwise (Laughter) ! Taking part in the Solheim Cup would also be a dream, but there is still a long way to go for all of this.

You discovered golf at the age of 6, in Miramas near Arles where you are from. But you don't really hang on until you're 12. For what reasons ?

When I was a kid, I had lots of activities, I went scootering, rollerblading… I really got hooked on golf when I started playing in League competitions. My coach at the time at the Nîmes Campagne golf school, Jean-Luc Poü, told me that I was hitting the ball well and that I should persevere.

What is the best memory of your young career so far?

The Golfers' in 2016 at the Boulie, which we won with the PCC (Paris Country Club) against the Boulie precisely. I was in the last game, it's a great memory. There was a great atmosphere, we were like a small family. I love playing as a team, so winning as a team is even better.

And the worst memory?

When I was 18, the time I “got hurt” before the European Girls' Team Championship in the Czech Republic. I wanted to do a workout indoors, at the CCP precisely. There is a crossfit machine over there where you cross stairs upside down with your hands. I had big blisters, I had real steaks on my hands, it was not a pretty sight. The coaches of the team did not want to take any risks nor that I play with straps, they were afraid that I could not play normally. I was all the more sad that when I got home, I went to hit balls at the practice and I saw that I was able to play without problem, even without bandages ...

What is your strong point in golf?

The driving. I am powerful and I hardly miss the fairways. I play regularly with my brother Stéphane, who is pro, and he wonders each time why I moan after a drive (laughs).

And your weak point?

I am still too often penalized by errors in strategy on a course but I would say my putting. I do not fit far enough above 2 meters. And even since 2019, things are going a little better in this area. Before, it even tended to put me under stress on my chipping because I knew that I absolutely had to let myself a little putt ...

What's your routine when you have a really big putt to play and the pressure is on?

I try to play the putt 100%, not to be afraid. Mathieu Santerre, my trainer at the Pôle d'Antibes, often told me "better to miss by playing a 100% putt than to regret not having played it thoroughly". I also have my right hand which has a tendency to "yip" under pressure, so I almost take it off the grip in these cases. And then I play my putt faster. I put myself at the address, I look at the hole once and I go. It avoids asking too many questions, I do this for all shots under pressure, not just for putting.

Your best score?

I've played -6 twice. The first time at the British Girls, I don't know if it was in Ireland or Scotland. The second time, during the LETAS final in Lalargue, Alsace, near the Swiss border. The day before, I had made +6 and I was very upset. The next day I score -6… by missing a putt of 50 cm on the 18! Well it was downhill, not that easy (Laughter).

Have you ever completed a hole-in-one?

Never ! Once at the German Girls in St. Leon-Rot, our coach set a target to aim on the green. I missed it but my ball ended up in the hole, from which we had removed the flagstick. So I'm not sure it matters (Laughter).

The route that marked you the most?

There are two, absolutely beautiful. The Marches Golf in Canada and the Hero Women's Indian Open course, the DLF Country Club near New Delhi…

Camille Chevalier told us last year that it was also her favorite course… *

It's normal she won the tournament there! I like it a lot and yet I didn't play it well (Laughter).

What is the main flaw in amateurs according to you?

They moan after a failed 3-meter putt (Laughter) ! In this case, I ask them if they know the stats of putts taken by the pros at this distance. Suddenly, it relaxes them a little before putting.

Other than golf, what are your favorite hobbies?

I like spending time with my family, my nephews, my siblings. I also like playing other sports, I even climbed for 4 years and loved it, but I don't really have time anymore. And then I like to strum the guitar to relax but again, I lack the time to improve myself.

Interview by Franck Crudo

* https://swing-feminin.com/camille-chevalier-lobjectif-cest-de-pouvoir-integrer-le-circuit-lpga/