Thanks to Albane Valenzuela and Morgane Métraux, Switzerland is playing in the top league of women's golf. They represent the upswing of recent years.
Albane Valenzuela is a real globetrotter. Born in New York to a Mexican father and a French mother, the 26-year-old studied at the elite Stanford University in California and now lives in Texas. However, the professional golfer feels at home on Lake Geneva and is therefore competing wholeheartedly for Switzerland - for the third time at the Olympic Games in Paris in just over two weeks' time.
One year older than the Geneva native is Morgane Métraux from Vaud. As number 70 and 127 in the world rankings respectively, both have the right to play on the LPGA, the highest women's tour in the world. They are further ahead in the Olympic ranking and can therefore even quietly dream of a medal, as only 60 players and a maximum of three per country are allowed to compete. "Compared to the major tournaments with 154 players, that's obviously very little," says Valenzuela in an interview with Keystone-SDA. "And it makes it even more special because you're representing Switzerland. On an emotional level, it's therefore very different to any other tournament."
In the footsteps of her sister
The battle for a top spot will not be easy. The world's top 15 are all there, and victory will go to world golf star Nelly Korda. The daughter of Petr Korda, the 1998 Australian Open tennis champion, triumphed in Tokyo three years ago. Valenzuela finished 18th there. Morgane Métraux kept her fingers crossed for her older sister Kim (54th).
She had to give up the Olympics with a heavy heart at the time as she was fighting for a place on the LPGA and didn't want to miss any tournaments. "Listening to my sister, my only wish afterwards was to be there in Paris," says Morgane Métraux. The Vaud native achieved this thanks in part to her first victory on the European Tour at the Ladies Open in Evian.
Albane Valenzuela is one step further up the hierarchy. Last year, she finished 4th at the Chevron Championship, the first of the five major events, and in February she narrowly missed out on her first tournament win on the LPGA Tour in Thailand. "After five years on the tour, I'm a completely different player today," she says. "I know that I can play at the highest level and fight for a medal."
Ingenious monster
Valenzuela describes the course on the Golf National around 20 kilometers west of Paris, where the 2018 Ryder Cup between Europe and America took place, as very challenging. "Brilliant," she even enthuses. "It plays almost like a 'links' (courses along the sea) because there can be a lot of wind. The greens are also very subtle to read. With the wind and the water hazards, it can be a monster." It is definitely a course worthy of major championships.
The successes of Valenzuela and Métraux also represent a nice upswing for golf in Switzerland. Thanks to Joel Girrbach from Thurgau, who managed to secure one of the last places, a Swiss golfer will be competing in the men's event at the Olympics for the first time. "The return of golf (2016, after 112 years of absence) is the best thing that could have happened to us," Valenzuela is convinced. The Geneva native is full of praise for the association. "Swiss Golf has invested a huge amount in the junior programs, from which Morgane and I have also benefited. I am very proud to be part of this development."
