Emilie ALONSO
Golfer

Emilie received a grant to finance her participation in international competitions.

What is your sporting background ?
In terms of my best victories, I was lucky enough to win the French championships twice in a row in Match Play and twice the Trophée des Jeunes in Stroke Play. I won the Doral Publix in Miami and the Spanish Junior Internationals. I was part of the Solheim Cup Junior team in 2011. I participated in the Mediterranean Games where I finished 3rd at -10, winning a bronze medal in individual and a silver medal in team.
These are my main individual results: 
- More than 35 selections for the French Team
- Record on the LET: youngest player to make the cut at the French Open in Arras
- Course record at Sherry Golf (Int Spain)
- Won the Spanish Junior Internationals
- Won the Doral Publix Junior Golf Classic
- Won the Todd Bowl Trophy at the British Girls
- Won the "Classic de Joyenval" twice
- Won the "Jean Louis Jurion" Trophy three times
- Won the Orange Bowl Qualifier in Miami
- Two times winner of the French Match Play Championships
- Won the Youth Trophy twice
- Obtained Golfer's qualifications
- Won several Grand Prix in France
- Finalist at the Spanish International Women's Match Play Final
- Ranked 2nd at the French Women's Internationals
- Ranked 2nd at the Italian International Women's Championships
- Bronze Medal at the Mediterranean Games
- Top 4 at the Skandia Open 
And my team results:
- European Girls Champion
- European Champion (-16 years old)
- Silver Medal at the Mediterranean Games 

How do you see your profession today ?
Golf is very special. We dream that this little white ball goes where we tell it to go, that it goes around the hole or directly in it.... You become ‘addicted’ to it! Sometimes it borders on madness! I remember a Par 3 in Scotland where the green was on an island and surrounded by grass more than a metre high. My two competitors touched the green and the ball reached from 3 to 5 metres from the flag. My ball decided, after a bad shot, to stay in the tall grass 30 or 40 metres from the green. I played my second shot as best as I could and the ball fell into the hole. Birdie! The others made Par!  "Strange Game!  That's what golf is all about! It is a sport on the rise in France but women's golf is little recognized despite the achievements of French women, through the ages, and for much longer than men. I personally started late, compared to others, but I trained in the same way as when I played the piano, which allowed me to make amazing progress since I managed to get an index of -3.5 in two to three years. Golf is a very difficult discipline that requires a lot of time but above all a lot of sacrifice and learning about oneself. Golf has taught me how to manage my emotions, not only on the course and in training but also in everyday life. Golf can be a frustrating sport because despite hard work, we can fail in a moment of distraction. Working on details takes time and it is essential for the body to store all the routines. It's a never-ending quest because when you think you've got it, you often have to go back to the basics: grip, posture, alignment, to make sure the ball will go off properly. Some players are more technical than others, some prefer sensations to technical thinking, etc .... I think that reaching the high level can only be achieved without intelligent repetition. When you're young, you have the impression that you're playing golf against others, because most tournaments are match play, but over time golf has taught me that it's a very individualistic sport. In the end, we all want to finish first and we fight against our own game, our own head, our own emotions! You have little influence on the game of others and it's always a return to yourself. I think women's golf has a lot of potential. The professional level is increasing enormously. You have to be mentally ready to see yourself as a professional and to work like a professional to achieve this. Golf is a passion that requires a lot of sacrifice (like all passions), a lot of knowledge about the sport and about yourself and patience because the little white ball doesn't always go where you want it to go. 

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
In golf, there are the short, medium and long terms, which are difficult to define. In five years, I would like to obtain and maintain my card on the LET TOUR and the LPGA. In 10 years, I would like to be in the top 10 in the world and participate in the Solheim Cup. This is the dream I want to realise, having already experienced it when I qualified for the Junior Solheim Cup in 2011. And then to play in the Olympic Games and get a medal! 

This interview was conducted in 2015
Photo credit: Rémi Chapeaublanc