Personal Statement
I am an Irish/French citizen with dual nationality. I have lived all my life on the celebrated Saint Nom la Breteche golf course on the outskirts of Paris, France. Saint Nom was from 1970 - 2003 home to the landmark European Tour event the Trophée Lancôme which Severiano Ballesteros won on numerous occasions and in 2022 Saint Nom la Breteche will host the WTA World Team Amateur Trophy.
The world of competitive golf has always been my greatest passion. From a very early age my father thought me to never give up and more importantly he convinced me that I had to believe in myself, and my god given golfing talent to overcome my opponents whatever their age or level. Age, size, the driving distance of my opponents or their handicap, ranking or golfing reputation has only ever been a number to me and an additional incentive to win. In short, the greater the obstacle surmounted the greater the level of satisfaction once you overcome it.
When I entered my first Regional Championship at the tender age of 8 my handicap was 54 and I only had a half set of US Kids golf clubs. Just 6 months later, by the summer of 2015, I had qualified for the French National Finals (an elite field of the 54 best under 12 girls in the country), my handicap had dropped to 16.9. Although just 8, I havent looked back since and in October 2021 I competed in my 6th French National Championships and my handicap is now +0.5. My best finish at the French National Championship over the years was 2nd in 2018 and I finished that year ranked No. 2 in the official French Federation rankings in the Under 12 category.
While I have won several times on the junior French circuit, my biggest achievement to date was winning the Womens National Club Championships (La Trophée Golfers) with my club Saint Nom la Breteche in October 2021. During the tournament I played every match, singles and doubles including two victories over my great rival (handicap +5.5) who recently represented Europe at the Junior Solheim Cup 2021. My most recent tournament was the Trophée Esmond at Saint Cloud Golf club in greater Paris a very prestigious event with a truly international field and whos previous winners include Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda and Céline Boutier.
By making my mark early in my fledgling golf career, the Ligue de Golf of Greater Paris invited me to join their Elite list of young players and I represented Paris at 3 National Under 12 Ligue Championships (2016, 2017 and 2018) winning the coveted National Championship on each occasion. These experiences although extremely competitive, taught me the importance of being a team player, improved my confidence to speak in public, interact with other players and coaches and to handle the pressures of competitive golf and to meet the expectations of my peers.
Regarding my schooling, I have, since the age of 9, attended the American Section of the Lycée International High School in Saint-Germain in West Paris. This school is bi-lingual and is consistently ranked in the Top 3 High Schools in France in terms of the consistent excellence of its grades in the Bacalaureat and SATs but also in terms of the success of its students in their adult lives where almost 60% of students choose to study abroad. I am currently in the 10th Grade and have become very skilled at balancing my academic studies with my passion for golf.
As I live on a golf course, I play at least a few holes almost every day and a full round at least three times weekly. I also take regular lessons with my coaches at the club, the Ligue de Paris and now more and more frequently with the French Golf Federation (FFG). The Federation recently measured my swing speed with the driver at 101 mph and they are very confident that this will improve as I grow and mature. While my coaches tell me that I have a very natural and technical swing, I believe my key strength is my mental fortitude and my shot visualization even when under extreme pressure.
In short, growing up in Paris with an Anglo-Indian mother, an Irish father and a Peruvian nanny has given me not just fluent English, French and Spanish, but also the tools to travel the world and broaden my cultural horizons. As a result, studying International Business and playing at a competitive NCAA University now seems the ideal way to further develop my natural business acumen, strong relationship building skills, while at the same time pursuing my passion for golf and allowing me to launch a successful career as a professional on the LPGA Tour.