Céline Herbin delighted the home galleries when she won a three-hole play-off against Danish rookie Emily Pedersen to claim her maiden professional victory at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France at Golf de Chantaco 12 months ago.
Now the 33-year-old from Avranches is targeting a second title on French soil, but this time a Major, when she plays in The Evian Championship for the first time from Thursday.
“I have never played here. I always arrive at a tournament trying to win. I’m going to try to do my best and we’ll see what’s going to happen,” she said.
“It’s my first time at the Evian Championship so I arrived on Saturday night and tried to play as much as I could over the first few days because it’s new. Because of my lack of experience I feel I need to practise a little bit more. I played Monday and today again. I really like the course, it’s very nice: attractive views and I like the holes. I find it very strategic and you have to think a lot on this course. I feel pretty good about my game.”
Although she lives in Santander, Spain, and has played in 14 tournaments on the LPGA this year, Herbin certainly feels at home.
“It’s nice to play in France, to say hello in French to everybody. I feel there are more people cheering for me which is nice after the full season in America, where not a lot of people cheer for the French players. Now I’m in France, so it’s nice,” she added.
A strong result in the Evian Championship would provide a handsome boost to her standings both on the LET in Europe and on the LPGA in the United States, where she is ranked 47th and 101st respectively. Herbin will tee off in the first group of the afternoon at 12.25pm on Thursday.
