Jesper Littorin and Lorna McClymont added their names to Le Golf National’s cast of champions after taking the respective men’s and women’s Student Tour Series titles in France.
Scotland’s McClymont and Sweden’s Littorin spoke for one and all when they claimed Le Golf National’s Albatros course near Paris has taught them what you have to do to win over a layout that has not only staged a Ryder Cup (in 2018), but 28 French Opens since 1991.
Le Golf National’s list of winner features the likes of Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood, Bernd Wiesberger, Graeme McDowell, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Martin Kaymer, José María Olazábal, Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen and Sam Torrance, to name just some of the DP World Tour stars.
After winning the R&A Student Tour Series France, Littorin and McClymont have joined that famed list and they will be well equipped for other challenging courses they’ll play in future.
McClymont has two more years at the University of Stirling and hopes the Student Tour Series returns to the French capital in 2023. Littorin is in his final year at Halmstad University but dreams of playing the golf course in future French Opens. He has his sights set on the DP World Tour. His Le Golf National experience will play a huge part in trying to fulfil that dream.
“It’s a very good golf course, extremely tough, very demanding. From tee to green, you really have to hit fairways in order to make birdies,” said Littorin, who returned a closing 2-under 70 to finish on 3-under 211 to defeat Halmstad teammates William Leu and Hugo Stark by one stroke to win his first Student Tour Series event.
“Playing this golf course really lets you know what you need to work on to become better.”
McClymont was making her second appearance over the course just 20 miles southwest of the Eiffel Tower. The Stirling student finished 28th in this year’s World Amateur Team Championship. As last year’s Order of Merit winner, and with a victory in the 2022-23 season’s series-opening Stirling International, the Milngavie Golf Club member was always the odds-on favourite. She lived up to that billing with a 12-shot win over University of Plymouth student Megan Giles.
Sports science student McClymont was the only player in the women’s field to break par over the Albatros course, returning a closing 2-under 70 to finish on 1-over 216.
“Playing this golf course is massive for every player’s golf development,” McClymont said. “It just shows how important it is to commit to every shot. You have to commit once you’ve made up your mind what shot you’re going to hit.
“The hardest part of playing this golf course is it can get in your head. You have to be mentally as well as physically tough to play it. It’s a massive mental test. It can have you asking serious questions about your own golf. If you can develop an attitude that says you are going to commit to every shot then that’s something you can take to other golf courses going forward. Le Golf National is a pretty special place. I’d come back here in a heartbeat.”
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