Dubai: Camille Chevalier from France won the Ladies European Tour’s Rookie of the Year award as the leading first year player on the Order of Merit in 2017 and was rewarded with an Omega timepiece following her appearance in the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic.
With season’s earnings of €64,002.98 from nine tournaments, she earned almost double that of second-placed Luna Sobron from Spain and third-placed Jenny Haglund from Sweden.
The 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence started the season slowly but picked up momentum with three consecutive top-30 finishes from July and claimed her maiden title in the Hero Women’s Indian Open at DLF Country Club in November.
“It’s amazing and I’m so excited to be named Rookie of the Year. My win in India was obviously the highlight of the year. To win as an individual is great but to win surrounded by all your friends is so much better and that is what made it so much more enjoyable,” said Chevalier.
“This award means that I have reached some of my goals and I’m very happy with how I improved this year and excited to see what 2018 has in store for me.”
Asked about how she plans to celebrate the French youngster said: “I’m going to ski, after Christmas, but before, we’re going to Miami with my family because my brother is playing in a tournament in Miami, I think its called the Orange Bowl, so I’m going there.
“But I think I’m going to chill. I don’t know if I’m going to play.”
Reflecting on her rookie year Chevalier added: “I had a great rookie year. It was really awesome. I played really good golf.
“At the end of the year, I played good golf. At the beginning of the year, it was quite hard, but that’s okay. It was a great year and I learned so many, and I’m so excited for next year.
“I have a few ideas, but I’m not going to tell you the ideas,” she laughed.
“For for sure. I think it’s going to be actually pretty good. I mean, everybody says that.
“Everybody has ideas. But I think my ideas, I think they could be good, if I just get some fund-raising and stuff. I think it will work, I’m pretty sure.”
The Frenchwoman also revealed that she intends to go into the golfing business.
“After I have some money with golf, have enough money to raise my business, I will raise my business. That’s the plan.”
Chevalier joins an elite list of winners of this award including four-time Major winner Dame Laura Davies, Trish Johnson, Helen Alfredsson, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist, Carlota Ciganda, Charley Hull and Aditi Ashok among others.
She is also part of the new generation of talented French players achieving success in professional golf and becomes the first Frenchwoman to win the accolade in 25 years since Sandrine Mendiburu in 1992.
