In Evian,
To discover
The world ranking of the best golf players
We were expecting Céline Boutier, the indisputable French number one, but it is Perrine Delacour who is flying the colors of French golf this week on the fairways of Haute-Savoie.
The 118th in the world succeeds for the moment at the midpoint, a capital performance.
With a card of 68 (-3), free from bogey, and a total of 134 (-8) after two laps, the Picarde is in the top 5, just three strokes behind the American Nelly Korda and the Canadian Brooke Henderson, who sat on Friday at 5 p.m., at the top of the leaderboard.
“
It was a very solid day with a slightly less efficient putting than yesterday
(note: she had played Thursday 66, -5).
But I fought until the end.
It makes me proud,
said the Frenchwoman after the second round.
I will not change my goals.
Have fun and be patient
.
At 28, the 2013 Rookie of the LPGA Tour (American circuit) is competing in her third Amundi Evian Championship after 2017 and 2021 and her fifteenth Grand Slam tournament.
Last year, she failed one shot from the cut.
The native of Laon, also very in control of the media, adept at "
Aim Point
" (a visualization exercise to read the greens well) wants to stay in her bubble alongside her caddy (Fred Bonnargent, husband and former caddy of Karine Icher).
Read alsoAmundi Evian Championship: full sun on Delacour, 5th three strokes behind the leader Furue
“
We talk a lot.
Having Fred on the bag helps,
she confirms.
He knows the course really well.
We've been working together for almost a year and a half.
Last year was our first here in Evian.
It was a little different.
There, I also begin to know the course better.
“Now remains to continue.
Not the easiest in this complex sport.
“
The hardest part will be to remain patient and not focus on the result,” she continues.
I work on myself to avoid looking at the leaderboard.
I know my game is up.
The course wears you down mentally but also physically.
We come from the United States… There, we face a physical journey.
So, I will recover before continuing the 3rd day.
Under the blazing sun bathing the shores of Lake Geneva, it offers a little light.
On the North American circuit where she has already made six top-35s, but also missed five cuts in 2022, she is not used to playing the leading roles in the Majors (her best final result so far remains a 30th place in the Chevron Championship in 2020).
Read alsoThe Amundi Evian Championship: driving “cost me points”, regrets Céline Boutier
French golf can also count this weekend on Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (-1 after 36 holes in the top 50).
The 22-year-old LPGA Tour rookie can do even better than her 38th place in 2021. As in the first round, the Drômoise had a delicate start to the game, and like the day before she was able to get back to the place: “
I got tough from the start with double bogey and kinda shot myself in the foot.
But we were able to keep the game plan and I had an irreproachable attitude on the pitch.
There are a lot of positives.
Patience eventually paid off.
It's already over, however, for the French number one Céline Boutier (+1).
The guest Agathe Laisné, (by total) was on her side in favorable waivers to pass the cut.
