The French World Champions… 60 years ago!

In 1908, Pierre Lafitte, the publisher member of the Paris Golf course, created the French Championship-Coupe Femina in the hope that one day, the French women could compete with the Americans and the British: this crazy dream would come true on Sunday October 4, 1964 on the Saint-Germain-en-Laye golf course during the first edition of this international stroke play event. Great French champions had already won major tournaments like the British where they notably faced the Americans. Thus Simone Thion de la Chaume, Manette Le Blan or Lally de Saint-Sauveur. But not as the French team. Note that this historical reminder was written the day Céline Boutier just enjoyed her first success of the year in China. A wink between generations!

by Philippe PALLI and RdM

Under the captaincy of Lally de Saint Sauveur, Claudine Cros, Catherine Lacoste and Brigitte Varangot became world team champions on October 4, 1964. Amazing !

You should know that France only has 14,500 licensees, including only 5,000 women. This shows the feat achieved by these ladies at the Saint-Germain-en-Laye golf course (78).

Cherry on the cake! Trusted by his caddy Kiki Larretchewho came specially from Chantaco, Catherine Lacoste achieved the best total score of the tournament with the American Carole Sorenson. The individual ranking is not official, the two players finish tied.

The day after the championship, Lally de St Sauveur received from Tokyo the following telegram from the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Maurice Herzog : « Warmly congratulate you on the remarkable organization of the first Women’s Golf World Championship, as well as the results obtained which greatly delight us. »

This world title will offer the French Amateur Ladies team the Prize for the best feat of the week published by the newspaper The Team and awarded by a jury of Champions: Louison Bobet, Georges Carpentier, Louis Chiron, Henri Cochet, Marcel Hansenne, André Lerond and Jean Vuarnet.

The first Musketeers of French golf will also receive, for the year 1964, the Virginie Hériot Prize* awarded by the Sports Academy. “ This prize is awarded either to the author – or authors – of an athletic feat accomplished in the previous year, either in France, by a Frenchman or a foreigner, or abroad by one or more French, either to an athlete whose sporting or physical education career presents an example worthy of encouragement, or to a sports group whose physical education and sporting work presents an equal example worthy of encouragement and reward. »

For the year 1967, the Sports Academy will award a second time the Virginie Hériot Prize to Catherine Lacoste. But that’s another story.

The selection of players

The choice of these three players was not obvious, however. Brigitte Varangot and Claudine Cros were automatically taken but for the 3rd player, there was hesitation.

Odile Semelaigne-Garailde or Catherine Lacoste ? The daughter-in-law of Raymond Garaialde or his student? The regularity of the game or the potential? The choice was not easy for Lally de Saint-Sauveur. But the decision was wise. A tiebreaker match.

Odile Semelaigne-Garaialde, 31, already has several national and international titles to her credit. European Ladies team champion, she represents experience, regularity, wisdom and she is already renowned for the excellence of her short game.

Catherine Lacoste, 19 years old, magnificent flower bud in the process of blooming, has enormous potential. During the Easter holidays, she participated and won the French Young Girls’ International, then she was able to compete in the Carven Cup whose playing format was identical to that of the World Championship (72 holes). She placed second there. The event was won by Brigitte Varangot. But she is still a student and she cannot participate in all the events. These two excellent results obtained by Catherine did not leave Lally de Saint-Sauveur indifferent. Triggering a reflection, they led to the decision to set up a tie-breaking match for the choice of the 3rd player. This match was organized at the beginning of September and Catherine Lacoste had the whole summer to train. What she did seriously to earn her place in the World Championship and allow France to win.

In 1973, the Virginie Hériot Prize was replaced by the Guy Wildenstein Prize, itself replaced in 2009 by the Marie-Christine Ubald-Bocquet Prize, National and international golf champion.

Always believe you can win

GOLF PLANETE: What immediate memory do you have of this victory obtained with the French team against the USA when you were only 19 years old?

Catherine LACOSTE : I was young, it’s true, but I had already had the chance to win a few competitions, notably junior tournaments but also to play in the Carven Cup where I finished second for my first participation. And above all to qualify at the last moment at the expense of Odile Semelaigne-Garaialde.
But it’s true that winning this first world championship against the Americans alongside such prestigious champions as Lally de Saint-Sauveur, Claudine Cros and Brigitte Varangot, was an unforgettable moment which truly launched my career. I was to win the US Open three years later.

My specific memory of this meeting concerns the last three holes of the last day. I played badly on the 16th, a par 3 which is the current 7: I went to the left of the green and that depressed me quite a bit. Fortunately, I had with me as a caddy Kiki Larretche who had come from Chantaco for the occasion, as did Jean Garaialde and Jean-Claude Harismendy as well as my parents and friends. Fortunately, the pressure changed sides and my American opponent completely missed his hole 18 by making a bogey which gave us the victory!

GP: Tell us about your partners who were older and already known sportingly?

C.L. : Lally was the grand lady of golf. My mother, Simone Thion de la Chaume, knew her mother well. Next to her were Claudine and Bibiche who were 5 years older than me. Lally was behind the creation of this world championship with the American federation. This is the reason why the Saint-Germain golf course was chosen for this first edition. Lally was a fairly strict captain who led us the way a team should be led. I was lucky enough to win the individual ranking tied with an American: this cup which bears my name engraved in gold, I gave it to my daughter Véronique who, currently, is captain of the French Ladies team.
We had a fantastic team and we should have won other times. But personal and sporting lives have decided otherwise.

GP: What lessons do you learn from this victory? So that one day, the French team will be even more competitive tomorrow…

C.L. : I believe that when you enter a competition, you have to believe, you have to fight until the end. Always believe you can win! Today, I have the impression that the young people are playing, trying to do the best they can… But they don’t believe they can win. Never play to participate!
When I won the US Open three years later, no one thought I could win it. Except my father and me!!

Photos: Catherine Lacoste Collection, Golf Planète, DR

On the cover photo, from left to right, Brigitte Varangot, Catherine Lacoste, Lally de Saint-Sauveur, Claudine Cros.