The invitation came after Louise won the U-14 French International Golf Championships at the Chantilly Le Vineuil Golf Club near Paris on Apr 22-24, which she competed in during the school break. She qualifies to represent France thanks to her father Marc, a French national.
The win also means the 13-year-old Year 8 student from British International School, Phuket (BISP) qualifies for the Amundi Evian Golf Junior Masters to be held on Sept 20-22 at the Evian Golf Club in France.
Louise started slowly on her first round at the Chantilly Le Vineuil course on Apr 22 as her 8am start coincided with a chilly temperature of around 4°C, something the Phuket native is very much unfamiliar with!
However, she soon settled to finish the round on a respectable score of 76, 5 shots over par but only 2 shots off the lead.
Perhaps having become slightly more acclimatised to the cooler weather conditions and therefore comfortable with her game, Louise’s talent started to shine through on her second round as she shot a total of 4 birdies and 3 bogeys with a score of 1 under par 70 to claim the lead and finally another 3rd round of 72 (+1) to ultimately win by 4 shots.
Chantilly Le Vineuil is renowned as an uncompromising course and to finish under par is always considered a great achievement by its members and guests. Clearly Louise had found her groove when it mattered most.
USA Tour
Now back in Phuket, Louise is preparing herself for the USA Summer Golf Tour where she will play a total of four tournaments in the 13-14 age group of the girl’s division over a period of four weeks.
The itinerary includes the Sean Foley Junior World Star of Golf on the Palm Course at Angel Park Golf Club in Las Vegas on June 28-30 which Louise will go into with particular confidence having won there last year.
On July 6-7 she will compete in the FCG International Junior Championship at the St Mark Golf Course in San Marcos, California, closely followed by the IMG Academy Junior World Championship at the Rancho Bernardo Country Club near San Diego on July 12-14.
Louise will round off her North American tour at the FCG Callaway Junior World Championship at the Desert Princess Golf Club in Palm Desert, California on July 18-20.
Naturally, Louise’s parents will be accompanying her throughout the entirety of the trip.
Shortly after returning from the U.S. tour Louise will then head to Evian to join the French U-14 girls national team for a training camp in August before she plays in two tournaments. The first takes place on Aug 20-21 closely followed by the Golf Junior Grand Prix U-14 at the Master Course in Evian on Aug 23-24.
Special talent
Clearly Louise possess a special talent but having the right support network is also key. Her parents have allowed her to pursue and develop her affiliation with golf at her pace and of her choosing, never pushing or pressurising her.
“From the very first day she picked up a golf club, we have encouraged and supported Louise but never pushed her,” says Marc. “We support her to do whatever she wants and whatever she feels most comfortable with. She simply loves playing golf and, as such, my wife and I have gladly supported her and will continue to do so.”
She has been working with coach Sira Boonguer (aka Pro Noon) over the last three years and has recently been under the expert tutorship of Pawat Prachoomsrisakul (aka Pro Golf). Marc credits both coaches with really helping Louise develop and progress to reach the next level.
Louise is also affiliated with the Kempferhof Golf Club in Plobsheim, France and is advised by golf coaches and trackman experts Laurent Cabanne and Thierry Abbas, the “Cabbas” dream team.
We’re pretty sure there will be yet another next level to come very soon so watch this space as Louise’s remarkable story continues to unfold.
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