French Golfer Joanna Klatten's Memorable Maiden Win

Joanna Klatten Women's Victoria Open          photo: via iseekgolf.com

A first professional win is probably always going to be memorable, but there were a couple of things about Joanna Klatten's maiden victory that really set it apart.

It was the French player's first trip down-under.  She was in Australia for the Women's Victoria Open, and after a rather amazing bogey-free final round that included three birdies and an eagle, the one-time Georgia State Panther headed to the clubhouse with a two shot lead... and little doubt that the win was hers.  After all, the only threat was Haeji Kang of South Korea, and she was trailing by two halfway up the par-four 18th. 

But in golf... as in life... one must always expect the unexpected, and the unexpected certainly did happened yesterday at Spring Valley Golf Club. It came in the form of a last minute eagle by Kang,  which interrupted the slightly premature celebration going on in the club house.  A tense playoff ensued before the slightly tipsy French golfer did, in fact, lift the Victoria Open trophy. 

I'd say that definitely qualifies as memorable.

Lacoste Golf: Yani Tseng, Cristie Kerr & The Crocodile

 Lacoste Golf has a Facebook Page

The best women golfers in the world wear Lacoste.

W#1 Yani Tseng, just won a record breaking fourth major yesterday in a Short Sleeve 5 Button Stretch Pique Polo. It was a bright Begonia Pink and,  of course, emblazoned with a tiny green crocodile.

The familiar reptile was also present on Cristie Kerr's polo... a black version of the same classically designed shirt... as the defending champion, and W#2 golfer, Cristie shared in a three way tie for third at Locust Hill Country Club yesterday.

The brand... with its lovable logo... is one of the most recognized in the world and certainly has a historical connection with women's golf that's unique and extraordinary.

While tennis fans and fashion historians are familiar with Rene Lacoste, the tennis champion who invented the polo shirt, attached a crocodile to it and founded La Societe Chemise Lacoste, few people I've spoken to are aware that his wife, Simone Thion de la Chaume, was one of the top golfers in France for most of the 1920s and 30s, winning many national and international championships. Their daughter Catherine became a world class golfer as well, winning the US Women's Open as a 22 year old amateur, playing in just her third professional golf tournament. To date she remains the only amateur to win the US Women's Open. She went on to win the Women's Western Amateur, The US Women's Amateur and the British Ladies Amateur but never turned professional.  These days in addition to her position on the board of the company her father founded Catherine Lacoste Chantaco Golf Club and serves as non-playing captain of the French women's amateur team.

In addition to Yani Tseng and Cristie Kerr, Lacoste works with dozens of other top... and up-and-coming... golfers, both male and female.  The company is also a major sponsor of the awesome Evian Masters tournament which will take place this year from July 21 - 24.

Meanwhile, as the 2011 US Women's Open approaches, Lacoste's brand ambassador athletes are  looking like winners, it's a good bet golf fans will be watching the crocodiles next week in Colorado Springs.

Alstom Open de France & The French Ryder Cup Bid

No matter how old you are, repeatedly being told you're the oldest... anything... has got to get old pretty quickly.

By the time Miguel Angel Jimenez lifted the ornate silver trophy yesterday at Golf National, I'd guess he was already quite sick of hearing how he was the tournament's oldest winner. As you've probably heard, he won the Alstom Open de France... and as soon as he did everyone was talking about how at 46, he was the oldest ever to win this tournament. Not only that, he was the also the eighth oldest champion in European Tour history.

The colorful Spaniard isn't the type to take things to heart however, and quickly positioned his age as an asset... both for winning the French Open and for securing a place on Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup team. “Experience is always important,” said Jimenez post-playoff. “These two guys are playing very well. But, you know, the experience, also, is one of the keys. On 18, I hit my ball in the middle of the fairway and both of them missed the fairway. The win moved The Mechanic, who's had ten European Tour wins since he turned 40, into sixth place in the European Ryder Cup rankings.

Like MAJ, the Open de France ALSTOM has been around for a while. In fact, it's the oldest national open championship in continental Europe, dating back to 1906. In France's bid for the 2018 Ryder Cup, the country's golf history will be highlighted, along with the attributes of Le Golf National as a Ryder Cup venue. I attended the Open de France three years ago and was impressed with how quick and easy it was to get to the course from the center of Paris. I just hopped on a commuter train, and within 20 minutes I was in Versailles, from there it's just a 10 minute shuttle to Golf National. The course... as we saw yesterday... lends itself to the kind of dramatic finish that makes Ryder Cup competitions memorable.

The French will face stiff competition from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. French golfer Thomas Levet, who played in the 2004 Ryder Cup and has five European Tour wins, was one of was one of those who worked on France's Ryder Cup bid and he feels it's very strong. He even indicated that the Chateau de Versailles might be the setting for some of the official functions. How romantic is that?

The winning bid will be announced next Spring, in the meantime, Follow the French bid on Facebook.

Photo: Getty Images by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe