Hello Joanna. You started at the age of 8 at the Saint-Cloud golf course, where you won the Cachard Cup in 2006, even setting the course record with a card of 63. Do you still hold the record?

I still have it officially, but I know that a great amateur player, Amandine Vincent, has done 62 since the course was changed and became a par 71.

You studied at the University of Georgia and in South Carolina. Is the United States a must for a young golfer who wants to break into the highest level?

Yes, because it's bullshit to drop out of school altogether. You can play at high level up to 45, even more. Last week, a 43-year-old player won the LPGA (Angela Stanford at the Volunteers of America Classic in Texas). But you are never safe from injury during your career. French universities are not equipped for the high level, we do not have enough time to train. Today all the girls come out of American universities, except the Koreans. There, there are crazy structures, the university championship is publicized, there are a lot of tournaments ...

This year, even if the health crisis has cut off part of the season, the tournaments you have played can be counted on the fingers of one hand. For what reasons ?

This season they froze the rankings and I only have my Symetra card, as I lost my card on the European Tour last year playing only two tournaments. Suddenly, there was not much interest for me to play and go to the United States, especially with the Covid crisis. I took the opportunity to prepare for the post-career, I enrolled in BPJEPS (professional certificate for youth, popular education and sport) to prepare to teach.

Are you still going to play on the circuit next year?

I continue to train quite a bit. I will see according to the calendars, it is possible that I will do the South African tour and the Jabra to be able to play Evian. I should play until next June and see then where I am.

What type of teacher will you be?

I don't like teaching that is too technically based. You can't think of more than one or two technical keys during the swing. You have to adapt to your student according to their physical limits, because not everyone is 18 years old, let it be natural, diagnose what is wrong with the dynamic and settle it with the static, it is that is to say the grip, the posture, the alignment… From experience, we cannot impose a style on a player. This summer, I'm going to Dallas and train with Randy Smith. I really like his philosophy, it's very individualized, he never says the same thing according to his students, I saw how he did with Scottie Scheffler or Ryan Palmer.

Is grip something fundamental in your opinion? Because it is perhaps one of the most difficult things for a player to change ...

It's still important to have good grip. A very weak hand is not possible, but the rest does not bother me. Likewise, the grip must be in the fingers, not in the palm. And the left hand and the right hand must work together, you can't have a strong hand and a weak hand for example. I have been working a lot on the grip for a year and I find my bad shots are less bad than before.

What is the best memory of your career?

Maybe my 6^e place in Hawaii in 2016. I put in a 3 meter putt on the last day on the 18th to make 6^e, which is my best result on the LPGA. There was a big field of players with girls like Lydia Ko for example, and it's the strongest week of my career, I must have played -3, -4 every day. The most solid mentally too. I was calm, calm, positive, well in my head… Hawaii is the most beautiful place in the world, we are well accommodated, we eat very well, which is important to me (Laughter), there are beautiful hikes to do, you can clear your head easily when leaving the course. Otherwise, there is also my 3^e place last year at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France. I shared the last part with Nelly Korda and Céline Boutier, with whom I get along very well, there were a lot of people to cheer us on… And then there is my victory in Sydney in 2014 on the Australian circuit. This is the top 3 of my best memories.

The 3 yard putt you land on the 18 in Hawaii has made you a lot of money. What mental keys do you use when you have a putt under pressure to play?

I put a lot of emphasis on breathing, I stay in the present, I try to visualize the point of entry into the hole and completely detach myself from the result. In fact, the more adrenaline the better I play. I have never been a very good player in training, it lacks the spark, my ability to concentrate is less.

Is the mind your strong point in golf?

Perhaps. I manage to turn around badly embedded situations in my games, I don't let go easily, I manage my emotions well. After that, there is also my driving since I hit hard. Even if with my injuries, I hit less hard than at one time. I must be in the top 20 this year, while last year I was 6^e and even first on the LPGA in 2015 and 2016.

Does that mean that in the world of women's golf, no one goes as far as you?

Yes, apart from some players who took part in driving competitions, but were not on the circuit.

However, you do not have the physique of a mover ...

No, but I was very muscular. I have also lost 7 kilos since I stopped weight training.

When you're the biggest hitter on the women's tour, do you drive further than some of the men on the PGA Tour?

Five years ago I was driving 287 yards on average, which was only 2 yards below the PGA Tour average. But there has been a race for power in men for a few years. Today, the most powerful player is 291 yards average, but the gap has widened with the PGA average.

Could this race for power also happen on the women's circuit?

I don't think so because most women don't want to gain bulk it blocks them, they don't want to look like guys. There are always possibilities to gain technical distance.

What is the secret of your power?

I did a lot of physical training. I was beyond the 30^e place in terms of distance on the European circuit at 26, especially since I started my career late. I had to reach 210-215 meters in range, which wasn't much. In five years, I gained 40 to 45 meters range. I worked a lot on explosiveness and I really saw the payoffs.

Concretely, what does this physical training consist of?

I always try to be as fast as possible on a move. For example, during squats, I try to go down as slowly as possible and be as fast as possible on the ascent, quick and fast it is useless. The same goes for the bench press, I try to climb as quickly as possible, especially on my last climb, when I have almost no energy. My brain takes the information and gets used to this type of thing. I work on the eccentric side of the muscle and on the explosiveness. For example, there is no point in running an hour at 10 km / h, it is more useful to do 20-minute interval workouts, with 30 seconds of fast running and 30 seconds of recovery each time.

We talked about your strengths. And your weak point?

Chipping. I didn't put enough emphasis on it when I was young. When I started on the LPGA it was a weakness but it didn't obsess me because I didn't miss a lot of greens and if I had a ball on the edge of the green I putt. This is probably what prevented me from winning because I did not chip-putt often enough and that must have made me lose 5 points per tournament on average.

Ditto for memories. After the best, what's the worst?

(She thinks) I don't have a precise memory, I have this ability to forget the negative, I am someone looking to the future, who doesn't think too much about the past. Well, the British never succeeded me because I put a lot of spin in the ball and suddenly I have trouble controlling it in the wind… Oh yes, I have a memory that marked me. In 2016 I was playing Kingsbarns, which is my favorite links, and I had a caddy with whom I was playing my second tournament. We had played Scottish just before and we had a good result. At the end of the 7^e hole, he abandoned me because he had a hangover, I never saw him again. Two weeks later, I learned that he had died of cardiac arrest.

Have you ever completed a hole-in-one?

I've done six, including five in tournaments and on four different circuits: two on the LPGA, one on the LET, one on the LETAS and one on the Australian Tour. The one that marked me the most was the one I managed on the first hole of the last round at Chantaco during the French Open, in 2015 I believe.

Who is the player you admire the most?

Annika Sörenstam and Tiger Woods.

It's not very original ...

yes I know (Laughter). But I admire players who work harder than others and who are willing to sacrifice everything. I admire this passion and hard work. In tennis, although I adore Federer, I am more Nadal than Federer. They are champions who are inhabited by their sport. Combined with talent, this gives world No. 1.

Apart from golf, what do you like to do?

I love watching sports on TV and especially great food! If I wasn't passionate about it, I would have more money in my account (Laughter). I love discovering good restaurants, that's why I love France.

Interview by Franck Crudo

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