The national women’s team title will be awarded on Monday. But from this Saturday, Sweet whipped creamTHE Golfers’ Club Trophy showed all its dramaturgy, joyful as well as collapsed, exalted as well as dejected, relieved as well as desperate. Many say that the play-offs are the heart and soul of a French Team Championship, when eight teams have to fight for just four places. At the end of this 2024 vintage, proving them wrong is complex. Especially since this year, the four confrontations found their outcome on the very last holes.
The hierarchy of qualification, in any case, had absolutely no influence on the balance of forces on the ground, and the meeting which opposed the Lyon Golf Clubreigning French vice-champion and 9e at the end of the stroke play phase, Valcroswho finished 16e and good last the day before, proved it very well. The Lyonnaises quickly got within one victory of maintaining, with the 7&5 victory of Bénédicte Kerviel And Anaëlle Kirscht in the head foursome, then that of Sarah Brentcheneff6&5, in the second singles.
But the third point took so long to come that it was on the verge of never arriving, and all the credit goes to the Valcros players, combativeness under their belts. Camille Min-Gaultier first of all, unlocked the counter by winning the third singles, 5&4. Then the southern players turned the finale into pure madness. First of all, Carla Bourdeaux snatched the first single at 19e hole facing Aubane Statiotis, to tie the two teams. Afterwards, Léna Trémouilleengaged in what had become the decisive match against Lisa-Marie Paglianoand after seeing the latter go from 3 down after 12 holes to 1 up after 17, secured a very nice birdie at the 18th to also reach hole no. 1.
There, the Lyonnaise, after finding a fairway bunker to the right of the put-in, took the bull by the horns, taking out a 7 iron to try to get as close to the green as possible. Impeccably struck, her ball came to rest a few meters before the flattest surface, from where she was able to make two putts. Trémouille, for his part, after a correct approach, was unable to make the putt which would have prolonged the match. Pagliano having managed to control her emotions on the last little putt, she allowed her teammates’ relief to express itself.
