Johanna Klatten - Photo: © TPlassais / Swing-Féminin

April 3: ANA Inspiration (Rancho Mirage, CALIFORNIA), MAJOR

1. Lydia Ko (NZL)… 32. Karine Icher. Cut: Gwladys Nocera

The first major tournament of the 2016 season could not dream of a more beautiful scenario with the victory of the world number 1, Lydia Ko. The little New Zealander with Korean origins, already the youngest winner of a major tournament on September 13, 2015 during of the Evian Championship conquered its second Grand Slam tournament three weeks before its nineteenth birthday. By suddenly beating the English Charley Hull and the Korean In Gee Chun, Ko was writing another page in the history of women's golf. Two French women will have experienced this rare edition of the ANA inspiration from the inside. For Gwladys Nocera, 41, who announced that he would participate in this tournament for the last time, things were not clear from the first round, with a card of 77 almost impossible to catch up on Friday. Gwladys missed the cut and let Karine Icher, 37, continue the adventure of the ANA alone. Regular but without any real exceptional day (71, 71, 70, 73), Karine finished 32nd, nine strokes behind Lydia Ko. So quite far from her best mark at Rancho Mirage, a rank of 11th in 2015. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc, winner of the tournament in 2003 (then Kraft Nabisco Championship) and who followed the games of Gwladys and Karine every day as an Olympic referent for the French Golf Federation, is still waiting for his heiress!

April 16: LOTTE Championship (Oahu, HAWAII), LPGA

1. Minjee Lee (AUS)… 6. Joanna Klatten
23. Marion Ricordeau, 47. Celine Herbin

It was in the sumptuous setting of the Ko Olina Golf Club in Hawaii that Joanna Klatten, Marion Ricordeau and Céline Herbin, all three holders of a partial green fee on the American circuit, met from April 13 to 16. After the ANA Inspiration, several of the permanent players of the LPGA Tour had chosen to take a break, which "opened" places for this profile of players ... The three graces have tremendously transformed the opportunity. Starting with Joanna Klatten, remarkable 6th in this LOTTE Championship! For Joanna, who was playing her last round (68) alongside the future winner, the young Australian Minjee Lee (64 to win), it was the best performance of her career on this American circuit which she frequented. for three years. Also the best French performance on the LPGA Tour in 2016 (at that date). Sacred hitter n ° 1 of the 2015 season on the LPGA Tour thanks to an average drive distance of 274,420 yards, the Parisian of 31 years proves that her work of the last years can pay in all the other sectors of play and thus lead to top 10. A happiness shared with the two other French women present in Oahu. Marion Ricordeau, for her second tournament with the LPGA label (but the first on American soil since it was at the Australian Open, in mid-February, that she made her debut by finishing 71st), signs a nice place 23rd. By snatching a final 66 despite a double bogey at 18! With this great performance, Marion greatly validates her choice to leave the European circuit three or four months to go try her luck in the United States, by asking Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (based in Florida with Antoine Lebouc, her husband) as coach of luxury. The week of training before Hawaii seems to have already paid off! For Céline Herbin, also author of a final 66, the last day was to start with an eagle at 1. Enough to make a nice comeback in the ranking and finish 47th. Céline, who stayed on three missed cuts on the LPGA Tour, received her first check on the great American circuit. For the French trio, only one word in Hawaii: op-ti-mi-sa-tion!

24th April : Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic (San Francisco, CALIFORNIA), LPGA

1. Haru Nomura (JAP)… 19. Karine Icher
Cut: Perrine Delacour. Abd: Joanna Klatten

For Karine Icher, at the end of April in San Francisco, the days followed one another without looking alike. Fifth provisional at mid-tournament thanks to a card of 68 on Friday, the Frenchwoman records twelve more strokes on Saturday! A fatal 80 which makes it downgrade to 39th. Fortunately, a good last lap (73 while the scores were high that day) finally allowed him to finish 19th. As of April 24, it was his second best performance of 2016 on the LPGA Tour after his 13th place on March 20 in Phoenix. In this tournament won by the Japanese Haru Nomura (second success of the season for the young Japanese woman after the Women's Australian Open on February 21) and where the world number 1 Lydia Ko finished 6th on the day of her nineteenth birthday, two other French women were in contention. No success for Perrine Delacour (+ 9, cut) who nevertheless continued to re-acclimatize after the wrist injury which had kept her from the fairways for several months. And no luck for Joanna Klatten, penalized by headaches and who had to resolve to give up during the tournament. Note that that week, at the other end of the United States, Céline Herbin was competing in a Symetra Tour (American second division) event on the Florida fairways of Sarasato. The winner of the 2015 French Open unfortunately retired after two rounds. Pain in the left wrist after his club hit a tree root. Nothing serious but a precautionary measure so as not to compromise the rest of his program on the LPGA Tour.

April 30 / May 1: Shootout Classic (Dallas, TX), LPGA

1. Jenny Shin (CDS)… 10. Karine Icher
Cut: Marion Ricordeau, Celine Herbin, Joanna Klatten

The experience never stops paying off for Karine Icher. The most installed Frenchwoman on the American circuit, with already a dozen full seasons to her credit in LPGA, signs in Irving, in the suburbs of Dallas, her best performance in 2016: 10th. If the player from Châteauroux, with a final score of - 6 (71, 67, 70, 70) could not compete with the Corénnes (Jenny Shin, winner at -14 ahead of Amy Yang and Mi Jung Hun at -12) , its regularity during the weekend paid off. Already 13th and 19th this season, Karine thus offers herself a first top 10. Less success for the three other French women involved, with, it is true, much less habit and benchmarks in the United States. Marion Ricordeau, with a 77 on the first day, was stopped in the first cut. Céline Herbin (72, 69, 75) and Joanna Klatten (71, 73, 72) did not succeed in extending the adventure beyond the third round ...

All rankings as of 01/05/2016

ROLEX RANKING (world ranking) : 1. Lydia Ko (NZL); 2. Inbee Park (CDS); 3. Lexi Thompson (EU)… 54. Karine Icher; 103. Gwladys Nocera; 172. Joanna Klatten; 182. Céline Herbin; 208. Perrine Delacour; 252. Marion Ricordeau ...

LPGA OFFICIAL MONEY LIST (American circuit, earnings): 1. Lydia Ko (NZL), $ 1; 071. Haru Nomura (JAP) 567 2; 680. Ha Na Yang (CDS), 484 3… 617. Karine Icher, 098 38; 133. Joanna Klatten, 485; 64. Marion Ricordeau, 67; 941. Céline Herbin, 112.

LET RANKING (European Order of Merit): 1. Beth Allen (EU), € 46; 315. Charley Hull (ANG), 2; 42. Camilla Lennart (SUE), 280 3… 29. Céline Herbin, 237 18; 15. Justine Dreher, 050; 23. Gwladys Nocera, 10; 275. Valentine Derrey, 25; 8. Marion Ricordeau, 796; 28. Karine Icher, 7; 583. Isabelle Boineau, 31; 6. Lucie André, 498; 38. Anne-Lise Caudal, 4.

May events:

LPGA. May 8: Yokohama Tire Classic. May 22: Kingsmill Championship. May 29: Volvik Championship. LET. May 8: Lalla Meryem Cup in Rabat. May 15: Buick Championship in Shanghai. May 31-June 1: Qualifications of the Evian Championship at Evian.