Stéphanie Arricau - photo Isogood_patrick / Flickr

Hello Stéphanie, what has become of you?

Recently, I was still a federal coach at the Pôle espoir in Toulouse, but it closed its doors permanently this summer because Pascal Grizot wanted to centralize the two national training centers at Terre Blanche and at the Golf National. I now assist Benoît Ducoulombier, who was my trainer, at the Saint-Donat golf course * (Alpes-Maritimes). I am there every other week. I also take care of the mental preparation of young people from several leagues. It's a subject that fascinates me. With the same swing and the same physique, we are capable of the best and the worst.

For what reasons had you put an end to your career, at the end of 2008, whereas two years earlier you had won two more tournaments on the European circuit?

I was having trouble setting goals again and the question of motherhood was starting to arise. The girls also became more and more sporty and since I was not very athletic, I started to take meters, it cost me.

You were champion of France, were elected European golfer of the year in 2004 and won four tournaments on the European circuit, including the Lacoste Ladies Open. What is the best memory of your career?

(She thinks) I remember the putt from my victory in the Netherlands in 2006. A 2-meter putt, right-left. If I returned it, I won. I told my caddy, who was a local pro, that I had been training on the putting green for twenty years to make those kinds of putts. I still see the ball rolling, then disappearing. It was a very strong emotion.

And the Lacoste Ladies Open? You are one of the four Frenchwomen, along with Céline Herbin, Patricia Meunier-Lebouc and Marie-Laure de Lorenzi, to have won the National Open ...

It's different. On the last day I must have been two or three points behind my head and I was in the antepenultimate part. I had played very well, signed my card, then I waited in an Algeco for all the games to end. The emotion was not the same because the victory did not depend on me.

And your worst memory?

A moment remained with me. It was in Germany when I started, in 2001 or 2002. In Hanover I think. My hotel and restaurants were rotten, it was ugly, there were electric pylons everywhere and… I had missed the cut by one point. I remember throwing my shoes around in my room. I wondered what the hell I was doing there, I almost wanted to cry.

What memories do you keep of the LPGA circuit, where you tried your luck in 2005?

The memory of very well prepared courses and of an informed and very present public. People were asking for gloves, autographs from players, without necessarily being stars. For me, it was a monotonous life, with the same restaurants, the same hotels. Not having gone to college there, I didn't know many people, apart from my son's father, who accompanied me then. The mentality was not the same either. In the United States, it's the spirit of competition that reigns, we were neck and neck even to train on the putting green, while in Europe, it was lighter, more friendly.

What was your strong point and your weak point?

I really liked wedging, whether it was my 52 or my wedge, and also the trajectories. I liked playing with effects, looking for flags in the corners of the greens. So I was doing well when it was windy. When I won the Portuguese Open, in Cascais in 2006, I returned a card of 65 on the last day in the storm, the best score of my career! Afterwards, my strong point is linked to my weak point. I was doing well with wedging because with my small size, I was not very long at the drive. It was difficult for me to reach the par 5 in two. At the end of my career, it's borderline if I don't have to play a 9 iron on the third shot. It also played into my decision to put my clubs away.

Have you ever made a hole in one?

I have done several, but I am unable to know exactly how many. (She thinks) Maybe seven ... Once, it was the day of the bac, passing the golf test. The gym teacher, who was Arnaud Tillous' mother (our colleague editor of the Golf Journal), didn't know what rating to give me. Well, she still put me 20/20 in the end (Laughter). Another time too, on a very beautiful course in Ireland whose name I have forgotten, I managed a hole in one on the 6… when there was a car to win on the 17.

Is there a player you admire?

Annika Sörenstam. She has done a lot for women's golf. I admired her state of mind, for her nothing was impossible, even a score of 54. I had the chance to share a few games with her, including the second day in Evian in 2004. I was fine. hooked up to par 3 of 15, where I made two bunker exits and double bogey. She escaped and I never saw her again, she was a monster.

What is the journey that has marked you the most during your career?

The one that really impressed me was the Royal Melbourne. A links, but with the vegetation of hot countries, eucalyptus ... a real gem. This is where they played in the President Cup not so long ago (in December 2019). The facilities are fabulous, I had hit practice balls until nightfall when I was at the end of my career. I also remember the Pro-Am, which I had played with members of the Golf Steering Committee. And there, I see them rolling on the green with their cart. I had never seen that, it shocked me! They told me that the greens had been shaped so that we could ride on them.

Speaking of Pro-Am, what do you think is the most common defect among amateurs?

For men, it's simple. As in Pro-Am we started from the same balls, they all tried to overdrive me (Laughter). I remember a guy who gave his all for 18 holes but never got past me and left frustrated. Benoît Ducoulombier, who was present that day, had given him room elsewhere. In the ladies' category, I noticed that they have trouble lifting the ball on the approaches.

Interview by Franck Crudo

*https://golfsaintdonatgolfacademy.fr saintdonat.com/

And soon online: www.stephaniearricau.com