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The Royal Mougins Ladies with Pascal Denis, Tournament Director of the French Golf Federation. |
History was in the making end of April, when six members of the new Royal Mougins second Ladies Team took part in the National French Championships for second club teams. It was the first time that Royal Mougins played in this important event, and it proves the Club’s commitment to support the sportive side of its activities.
The 5-day event took place at the superb Golf de Brigode parkland course outside Lille. Five of the other teams carried the colours of some of the most prestigious golf clubs around Paris, i.e. St. Cloud, La Boulie, Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, Chantilly and St. Germain. Another club, Bondues, is among the most fashionable clubs in northern France. When the Royal Mougins team members arrived at Brigode the first day, they were met by an armada of luxury vehicles, carrying the logos of the sponsors of the other teams, who had also brought their coaches, caddies and supporters...
To be honest, the competition was not to be an easy walk in the park for the Royal Mougins ladies, all of whom have the first half century of their lives behind them. With handicaps of the other teams ranging from +0,7 to 9,8 and an average age around 18, our ladies – playing off an average handicap of 12,6 – felt they were up against their grandchildren...
Three new players
After two days of scratch stroke-play, the Royal Mougins team were to meet the girls from La Boulie in the quarter finals, which were played in the match-play format. In the end, Royal Mougins was beaten 5,5 to 1,5 by La Boulie, which later lost the final to the youngsters from St. Cloud.
The competition was a formidable experience for the Royal Mougins players, three of whom played an outside tournament for the first time this year - in line with the objectives of the Ladies Section to have a broader base of ladies eligible for outside competitions. In the words of Jacqueline Snijders, who incidentally had the best round of the week of all the RM ladies: “The days at Brigode became a great success in the sense that we learned a lot, that we could build a very good atmosphere in the team and that in the end we can be proud of ourselves. I had a great few days and I hope to be able to participate again, where ever we go.”
If you look at the individual scores of the second team girls, you will notice that on average they only used 2 strokes more per round than the ladies of the first team, who played at the national championships, 3rd division at Golf de Luberon the same week. “This proves the potential of the ladies and that the decision to let more players take part in outside competitions was well founded”, says Bernard Bellaiche, president of the Sports Committee at Royal Mougins.
Pascal Denis, Tournament Director of the French Golf Federation was impressed and pleased by the fact that Royal Mougins had decided to send their second team to the Championship: “It has been a great pleasure to see the strong fighting spirit and unique camaraderie among the Royal Mougins ladies,” he said. “They have really lived up to the famous words of Pierre de Coubertin: The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well.”
Thank you for fighting well:
Jacqueline Snijders, Merete Petteroe, Maari Vesanen, Julie Sabas, Gerd-Helle Mustad and Lene Bjerk-Bojesen. Ginette Griesbach was unfortunately not able to join us.
Thank you for representing the colours of Royal Mougins with elegance and sportsmanship in the company of some of the most private and sportive golf clubs in France!
The Competition Committee
