Isabelle Boineau, the only French winner on the Ladies European Tour so far in 2016, earned her maiden title at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open in July and is quietly confident heading into next week’s Lacoste Ladies Open de France.
She finished fifth in the tournament at Chantaco Golf Club in 2014 and since then has lifted her game to another level. Currently ranked fourth on the Order of Merit, the 27-year-old from Marseille is determined to keep up the momentum heading into the last quarter of 2016.
“My goal is to finish top three, top five on the Order of Merit, and play in The Queens presented by Kowa. I really want to play in that because since I played pro I have not had the opportunity to play as a team and I love Japan so I think it will be fun.”
A tie for 48th place on her debut in the recent Evian Championship in France was a cause for further motivation and she added: “I had a blast at Evian. It was just so nice to make my first cut in a Major, especially in France. My friends were 1000 per cent behind me and my parents came for the weekend so I was really happy to be able to play for them.
“It was nice to play with Lexi Thompson and Pernilla Lindberg and then Suzann Pettersen and Pornanong Phatlum. The two pairings I had at the weekend were amazing and I couldn’t have asked for more. It was great to learn from those players and I really liked Pornanong’s attitude: she’s always so calm and in the same mood. It’s very nice to play with her.”
Boineau played in the French Open as an amateur from 2005-2007 before joining the Ladies European Tour in 2014, the year she recorded her best finish in the tournament as a rookie.
She said: “I think the conditions suited me well two years ago because it was wet and I was hitting the ball low. My goal is to do well at the French Open and why not win in France? I just love the place, Saint-Jean-de-Luz: it’s relaxing, I used to go there for holidays and spending a week there, you can go to the beach, the ocean, it’s just great.”
The 19 French players in the field also include the defending champion Céline Herbin and former Order of Merit winner Gwladys Nocera, a multiple Solheim Cup player who represented France in the recent Olympic Games.
