Celine Boutier (above) and Perrine Delacour of Team France (below) are ready to take on the Albatros Course at Le Golf National, a venue they both know well, in this week’s Women’s Olympic Golf competition at Paris 2024.
The local players grew up playing at the course in national junior championships every summer and then in national team training camps.
However, this will be a completely different experience as they play on sport’s biggest stage in front of the home galleries.
When asked if she’s anxious to get going, Boutier, the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship winner, said: “I’m definitely ready. It was fun to experience all the Olympic events, the atmosphere, the Village and the men’s event but now I think it’s definitely time to get started.
“I think the crowds at Evian are obviously very supportive of French players, but I think here, from what I’ve seen from the men, it’s very much more patriotic and a lot more love. I think it’s definitely a little bit more extreme here.”
Both players were on site for the men’s Olympic golf competition final round on Sunday and heard the chants of “Victor, Victor, Victor” in support of Frenchman Victor Perez, who finished in fourth position, just outside the medal positions.
Delacour said: “I did watch Victor on the first and I watched him from 15 up to 18, and I tried to practise myself, because we still have to focus. We have four more rounds of golf and the preparation is kind of short for us.
“I kind of did a mix because I want to know what will be going on, on Wednesday, when we tee off, because it’s something that you only experience once in your life. I think it’s good; the fact that we could see the men on the first tee, how the crowd was with them. So it’s definitely helping us to see how to manage the emotion and everything.”
Boutier added: “I did watch Victor on the first tee yesterday, and then I just went to practise and get ready. But I definitely heard the crowd a few times from the practise facilities. I definitely knew something was going on and was able to watch.
“It was cool to see what Victor did and the crowd went crazy. It was really fun to see. Hopefully we also get some crowds. It’s good to see that ahead of time so, like Perrine said, you can prepare yourself psychologically.”
In terms of the course, both players agreed that there was only so much they could learn from watching the men’s competition and that the course would pose a tough test.
“Like Celine said, we played a few times on this course for the French championship, and we also played like together in school, so we kind of know the course,” continued Delacour.
“The men are playing so far different than us, so personally I think the strategy is way different. Like Victor had an iron on No. 3 yesterday and I had 3-wood to just like not even get to the green. I think it’s playing different between the men and us, but we definitely have the pins, like an idea where the pin can be. So that’s helpful for us.
“It’s playing different than when we played on Sunday, myself I just played 18 holes. It’s definitely firm. Rough is really thick. So it’s going to be a game of patience for sure and I’m just going to try my best to enjoy every moment to play in front of the crowd.”
Boutier added: “I agree. Just the game is very different; the height that they have; the power that they have, the stopping power that they have is very different, so you can’t really expect us, me personally, to play the same way.
“I’ve only played nine holes so far but it’s definitely a challenging course, and then the rough is obviously very thick, so it’s going to be a good tournament. I think it’s definitely one of the most challenging ones just because of the hazards and the rough, so any mistakes can definitely cost you a lot.
“It’s going to be a big challenge and I think the greens are only going to get firmer because there’s no rain in the forecast. Yeah, that’s going to be a little bit of adjusting as well, as the week goes by.
“I think it’s going to be huge for France and huge for golf in France. Personally, I don’t really think about inspiring people yet. I’m just trying to get to hopefully Wednesday, and then just one day at a time honestly. If I happen to inspire people, even better, but honestly, I’m not trying to think about that too much.”
Delacour will hit the opening tee shot at 9am local time on Wednesday and Boutier will start at 11.55am.
