General / Bill Elliott / 24 April 2008 / Leave a Comment

Bill Elliott salute la creme of the current French golfing fraternité - they've got that funny Van De Velde character to thank you know

One of the recent pleasures I enjoyed whilst covering the Masters was bumping into that blue-eyed rascal Thomas Levet who was rabbiting away for French TV when our paths crossed outside the clubhouse.

I like Levet. He is, of course, quite mad but mad in a deliciously attractive French way. It's not just those piercing eyes of his - and, yes, I am in touch with my girly side - it's his madcap and enthusiastic approach to life and golf and everything else.

I mention Thomas because (a) he won in Portugal last month after an injury plagued couple of barren years and (b) the Frogs are in rampant mood at present. Levet apart, Gregory Bourdy (rather satisfyingly pronounced 'birdie') won in Portugal and then last week young rookie Michael Lorenzo-Vera (just Vera to his friends, all of whom are Coronation Street fans) secured second spot last week in the China Open.

This is some French run of form and one that should not be ignored. This week, for example, Raphael Jacquelin (pronounced 'Jacklin' so, naturally, we know him as 'Tony') is defending the BMW Asian Open title in Shanghai. Jacquelin is a classic streak player. When he is hot he is very hot and when he is cold consider putting your money on me instead.

What will he be like this week? Who knows. Certainly he doesn't, no matter what he claimed today during a justifiably upbeat press conference. What we know is that he likes the course and this, often, is the most significant pointer to who will do well any given week so anything is possible at this stage.

What I do know is that French professional golf is on the serious up. There was a time not so long ago when the average French pro harboured two ambitions only only. He wanted to talk to as many pretty girls as he could and he wished eventually to slip into a cosy job down on the Cote D'Azur where he could meet even more, and quite probably even prettier, girls. The rest, like winning occasionally on the European Tour, was a side-issue.

Now, however, the efforts of the French Federation to improve the standard of players coming out on Tour is paying off quite spectacularly. They still like the girls, of course, but there is a much more dedicated approach to practice, fitness and the other boring stuff that everyone must embrace if they are to succeed in this perverse world of big-time games.

When I used to attend the old and much missed Lancome Trophy in Paris it was like meeting every upper-middle class Frenchman and woman in one, champagne-fuelled go. Le golf until recently was entirely the preserve of the sort of people who know what a premier cru is and can afford a few bottles when they so desire.

This is not to suggest that the game is now totally egalitarian but it has reached out beyond its narrow social base to some real effect. This process was, of course, given a significant boost a decade ago when the Top French Nutter Jean Van de Velde did his trick shot routine to throw away the Open Championship at Carnoustie and instead delivered unto us the rather more serious Paul Lawrie.

At the time it was felt that a huge opportunity to grow the game across the Channel had been thrown away by some pressurised idiocy and a Scottish burn. What actually happened is that Jean's failure was hailed as heroic by the media over there and then received much more attention that would have happened had he won.

Suddenly the game was seen as exciting, dramatic and, yes, sexy. And our French brothers love sexy even more than we do gentlemen. I'm not saying this recent French domination of the European Tour will continue apace but I am saying I wouldn't bet against it. Especially not this week.

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