The French Really Know How To Get Us Excited For The Ryder Cup!

As the European Tour visits this Le Golf National this week and site of the Ryder Cup this fall, the New York Times' John Clarke interviews 33-year-old Michael Lorenzo-Vera about the state of French golf.

His honesty is refreshing, but it also suggests a hoped-for boost to French golf has not yet materialized as hoped.

If you say to people in France that you play golf, they will say: “No, but really. What’s your real job?” Golf is not a good thing here. It’s for rich people and spoiled kids. That’s the image we have. Actually, we are trying to work on that. People like Alex Lévy are trying to make the game look more fun. But it’s a lot of work. I am just trying to be really nice to everyone.

Nice is good, nice is good.

What do the French think about hosting the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National?

People don’t care about the Ryder Cup. Honestly, nobody knows there’s going to be a Ryder Cup in France. Only the golfers know. That’s it. There won’t be many French there. There will be so many more from England or Spain. Golf is a very private thing for people in France. Private courses for only rich families or rich people — that’s it.

Well, but the food will be amazing!