A little punch. That’s all Sarah-Ève Rhéaume needed to withstand the ax that fell at the Canadian Women’s Open on Saturday morning.

She had her fingers crossed in the morning when the 40 or so golfers completed their second round. However, the guillotine remained at -2.

Still, at 22, the Quebec amateur golfer left Ottawa Hunt Golf Club with her head held high and a respectable -1 record.

With five holes to play on Friday night, she was well on her way to earning her ticket to the weekend rounds. But a bogey on the 14th pennant edged them out.

A rather cruel end for those who missed a single green in prescribed shots, that of the 14th, on this second day of competition in the federal capital.

Caught in the thick grass, his ball was also out of place. The young golfer wanted to play finesse and missed her shot. On the way to the pavilion, she couldn’t make up for her blunder with birdies.

deception and judgment

“It’s definitely disappointing. I was almost there. I’ll go home and think about the shots that I could have made better in my two rounds and the putts that could have fallen in the cup, said the international who faced a course with a difficulty she rarely encounters.

“I played 72 (+1) in the opening, not bad for a first round among the pros,” she recalled. But you also have to look at the data. In my two rounds I just managed five birdies. It is not much.”

Push your limits

Rheaume will evaluate his performance with his coach Fred Colgan looking to attack the elements and improve his game in anticipation of his next tournament. Time will fly by as she heads to South Carolina in the coming days, where she will begin her fifth year with the Paladins.

She is looking to build her confidence on her recent accomplishments, particularly the successful first stop of the Epson Circuit’s Q-School, the LPGA’s antechamber and that presence at the Canadian Open.

“It’s good to be one shot away in my first professional tournament. I know that I am capable of achieving high goals and I always want to push myself to the limit.”

Thibault on the street

With a record of +7, Thibault drove to the family home in Rosemère on Saturday to rest after more than a month and a half on the road.

Unhappy with her approach to the greens at the Ottawa Hunt, she will focus on that aspect of her game for the next few weeks.

“I was still precise from the tee shots and only reached half of the greens on prescribed shots. I also need to work on my short game.

After his few days off, Thibault will return to Austin, Texas to join his instructor Chuck Cook.

Then the new pro rummages around from tournament to tournament on the various American racetracks. She will attempt to pass Monday’s qualifying processes on the LPGA Tour.

Like Rheaume and Thibault, Maude-Aimée Leblanc and Valérie Tanguay could not resist the axe.

After finishing eighth at the Scottish Open in late July, Leblanc missed the ax for the second consecutive year in as many games.

long-term work

Unleashing your power on a course comes with its share of benefits… but also disadvantages. In her first season on the LPGA Tour, Frenchwoman Pauline Roussin-Bouchard often learns this the hard way. She tries to master her game to avoid trouble and gain consistency. A long term job.

The one ranked 71st in the CME Globe Race and 114th globally is having a good first season in elite women’s golf.

Packed with talent, the former University of South Carolina Gamecocks, who excelled in the NCAA and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, can make the top 10 as easily as they can be knocked out of the weekend’s rounds.

In the amateur and collegiate ranks, she excelled with her flowery cards. She managed to tame her demons en route to the LPGA Tour.

However, she has been trying to break bad habits for several weeks. The 22-year-old athlete, who lacks precision due to his strength, works towards his round debut with a fluid and graceful swing.

In simplicity

It’s okay to hit well ahead of your rivals, but you still need to know how to stack up the birdies intelligently.

Averaging 272.5 yards from her drives, Roussin-Bouchard is in the top 10 strongest female golfers this season. On the other hand, she ranks 147th in terms of accuracy when she returns 62.4% of her balls on the fairways.

Apparently, sparrows are much harder to come by if they constantly play in tall grass and in the shade of trees.

“Also, I’m trying to avoid being two strokes over par after six holes,” joked the likeable golfer after her round at the Canadian Women’s Open, where she got off to a bad start on Saturday.

“It’s easier said than done,” she continued. But I try to use a simple game while staying positive. I need to execute my shots, think about my aggression on the pitch and reassess my game dynamics.

Roussin Bouchard is still young. However, it’s a change that doesn’t come with a snap of the fingers. Her game at the Ottawa Hunt proves she still needs to polish. Among the leaders until midway through the second loop, we saw her climb and fall over her good shots and her sometimes disastrous mistakes. Originator of a hole-in-one on Friday’s eighth pennant, she then also committed a triple bogey. And on Saturday, a double bogey, three bogeys and four birdies made his 72 (+1) card bloom.

eyes on Asia

Despite everything, the French does not lose the north. You’d think she’s hoping to sneak into Europe’s squad for the upcoming 2023 Solheim Cup. That’s not entirely the case. Rather, she has a very specific goal: to participate in the tournament series on Asian soil.

Why ?

“Because I’ve never eaten sushi there,” she joked. No, seriously, I’ve never been to Asia and Australia. I want to go there to the Kulturbad, but also because the LPGA tournaments held on this continent bring together the best. So.”

It’s not far now as the majority of these tournaments are reserved for the golfers ranked in the top 70 in the race for the CME globe.

The Solheim Cup will come sooner or later if she manages to master her game.

An Arab sponsor

Since last year we have seen more sponsors with connections to Saudi Arabia among the women. The logos of Golf Saudi and Aramco, associated with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), are also prominently displayed.

Roussin-Bouchard also wears the Aramco series logo on his jerseys. Sanctioned by the European Women’s Tour, this series features five international events in team and individual game formats. Each tournament has a $1 million prize pool.

Before signing a contract with this sponsor, the rookie hesitated for a long time. However, she did not want to step on slippery ground.

“I don’t get myself in trouble that way,” she replied. However, you have to admit that he does an incredible job with the girls. You don’t have to hide it.”

In fact, the PIF happily distributes millions in professional golf and Formula 1. A concept called washing through sport to restore its reputation.

However, Saudi Arabia continues to violate human rights, including those of women in the kingdom.