The fairy tale for a rather atypical player

It's a fairy tale that has been emerging for a little while. Because the atypical profile of the French Astrid Vayson de Pradenne has regularly produced its small effects in recent years on the Letas circuit (the second European women's division). Physiotherapist by trade, who came to golf at the age of 15 but scratched in two years of practice, the Vauclusienne decided, in 2013, to try a life of pro golfer in parallel with her medical profession. Logically meeting ups and downs, playing golf between her itinerant “physiotherapist” missions, Astrid stood out for the first time in 2016, with a second place at the 2 Azores Open. Which brought her good 2016th overall. ranking of the Letas for the same season 13. It again marked the European B circuit in 2016, with two new podiums, on the Letas: 2017rd at the Ribeira Ladies Open, in Spain, and 3nd at the Castellum Open, in Sweden. Before shining with panache in August 2 during the first round of the Bossey Ladies Championship, which was then a brand new French stage of Letas. The Southerner fielded nothing less than five birdies in a row, and nine birdies in total for this inaugural day of the tournament. This propelled her co-leader to -2017 with the future winner, the Scottish Jane Turner. “It's my record! " exalted the great Astrid, flamboyant personality, as expansive in her words as determined in her golf. Even if with a third lap in 75, she finally took only 14th place.

Qualified for the Evian Championship and the Ricoh British Open

If there is one player who could make the most of the Jabra Ladies Open 2018, it was this young 32-year-old woman with a pugnacious temperament: Astrid Vayson de Pradenne. In the event of victory in the French tournament, the first double LET / Letas badge event in the history of the European female circuit, the jackpot was considerable for the future winner: an honest prize money of € 19 but above all a double qualification for the Évian Championship (September 200-13) and the Ricoh Women's British Open (early August at Royal Lytham & St Annes)! Plus a green fee on the LET until the end of 16. Unexpected for all players. And in particular for those confined to Letas like Astrid. In Bossey last year, the young woman took advantage of her exploit in the first round - also coming after her two top 2019s on Letas - to loudly suggest that she be invited to the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, tournament which is terribly, desperately, dear to his heart. This Saturday, June 3, 2 in Évian, when she was almost on the tee of 2018 to start her last lap, the unclassifiable Vayson de Pradenne still followed her idea: “Well no, they didn't invite me to the French Open last year! " Enough to understand why, five hours later, at the end of her victorious playoff against the German Karolin Lampert, the Frenchwoman fell on her knees on the green of 18, crying and her head hidden in her hands ... Lacoste Ladies Open de France, in 2018 and 2019! No invitation needed!

When Astrid “alpague” an English caddy on the green of 15!

Fifth after two laps in this Jabra Ladies Open, and only three strokes from the Finnish Ursulla Wikström, Vayson de Pradenne believes in his star this June 2 at the Evian Golf Resort. It is with remarkable authority that she will seek the final card of 67 (-4) which allows her to go into play-off with the German Karolin Lampert (same cards of 70, 69 and 67 for the two players, tied at -7). With a doubly incredible moment at the green of 15, when the physiotherapist of Châteauneuf-du-Pape interrupts her routine as she prepares to putter for a crucial birdie, time to launch to a photographer whose trigger breaks the silence: "Hey, it's not right at all, I hear the click-click of your device, me!" " Ten seconds later, despite what could have been a major reason for devolution, the delicate putt is good for birdies. And there, taken from another inspiration, Astrid sees the English caddy Eric Black in the audience… Immediately, she asks him if it would be ok to finish the course with her and pull the very standard golf cart, so quite heavy, that she has been dragging herself for three days and therefore her first fifty-one holes! Comments from the player after the fact: “Without a good caddy like him for the last three holes, plus the play off hole on the 18th, I probably wouldn't have won. It was my luck that Eric stood there and said yes. Especially since he should have already been in front of a good beer! "

Inspired by her faith and by the beautiful golf encounters

Everything from Pradenne's Astrid Vayson is there. In an attitude spontaneous to the excess, but very inspired by the moment and by the people. In any case, a way of being and of doing “atypical”, according to the adjective that she herself uses to define her personality and her trajectory as a pro golfer well outside too straight fairways. “I am a Christian, a believer, and I prayed a lot during my first fifteen holes. It was like a mantra, to keep my mind at peace. When I saw Eric at 15, I thought to myself that things should probably connect like this… ” An analysis of her personal feelings which is reminiscent of what the Vaucluse player explained to us in 2017, to explain her place as 2nd at the Castellum Open, Scandinavian stage of Letas: “The Swedish family who had agreed to host me for the tournament communicated so much love to me… It could only work. We even cried when we left each other at the end of the tournament… ” Crying, joy and gratitude, there was again in Évian when the Frenchwoman, during the first playoff hole of the Jabra Ladies Open, returned her putt of 3 meters for birdie ... Just after Karolin Lampert came from make a simple one by ... The jackpot. The Graal. The reward for an endearing player who wondered if, soon to be 33, we should not stop the fees at the end of this 2018 season on the Letas. It is in any case what a lot of his relatives suggested to him…

An ideal scenario for the Jabra company, at the origin of the tournament

" It's crazy, Astrid said at the microphone of Golf + held by a Sophie Giquel-Bettan passed for the occasion from player of the tournament to interviewer of her "colleague"  A fortnight ago, I missed qualifying for the US Open for just one small blow… I tell myself today that the reason behind it all comes from the fact that it is rather that moment, this victory at Jabra Ladies Open, who was waiting for me! With all that she is incredible to me. " And the young woman to explain the choice of her Lacoste blue-white-red polo shirt, a sort of oblique tricolor: “When I saw the French athletes wearing it at the last Winter Games in PyeongChang, I wanted the same! " A true fairy tale, therefore… Completed by two other French women tied for 10th at -1. On the one hand, the young Agathe Laisné, best amateur on a course that she knows well having already had the privilege of playing the Evian Championship twice (wild card decided by Franck Riboud in 2016 and title of European Champion in 2017). On the other hand Isabelle Boineau, the winner of the Jabra Ladies Open 2017 and who is regaining color with this good performance in Evian. An ideal scenario also for the company Jabra, a subsidiary of the Danish group GN (innovative audio solutions, including hands-free “Elite Sport” headsets offered to the 132 players of the field) which succeeded, in close synergy with Franck Riboud and the extraordinary teams of the Evian Championship (Yannick Le Hec, Steve Brangeon, Jacques Bungert) to be made from a single French tournament in 2016, first a Letas event in 2017, then a double LET / Letas badge event qualifying for the Evian Championship and the British Open in 2018!

Franck Riboud, Joël Hamon and Jean-Baptiste Pain ambitious for the future

For Franck Riboud, president of the Evian Championship, as for Jean-Baptiste Pain and Joël Hamon (respectively director and president of Jabra for a large area "Southern Europe, Africa, Turkey, Middle East"), the success is total. A reward for this trio which deploys the same desire to boost women's golf. Providing European players with tournaments allowing them to make a living from their sport in conditions worthy of their involvement and their talent is the common goal. And it's not over. Because during this Jabra Ladies Open 2018, Franck Riboud and Joël Hamon renewed the “Jabra / Évian” partnership for a period of four years. Discussions with the institutions of European women's golf, represented on site by Mark Lichtenhein, the boss of LET, and Di Barnard, the head of the Letas circuit, will certainly take place over time ... This in order to define the status of the player year by year. Jabra Ladies Open (if the double badge is maintained, for example). But one thing is certain for the three men who watch with passion for the destinies of this event that we can say "born under the wing of the Evian Championship": the endowment of € 120, halfway to what is done on the LET and the Letas, is expected to progress in good proportions in the coming years. Good news for the players. Good news for the influence of France in the promotion of women's golf.

See the results of the final

See the ranking of the order of merit