Player Blog: Romain Langasque

The 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National, France, was certainly one to remember for Team Europe. French golfer Romain Langasque gives us an insight into how he got inside the ropes for one session and how The 2018 Ryder Cup has inspired him, in this week’s Player Blog presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

I just wanted to go inside the ropes at Le Golf National and I was really fortunate that I was able to. A good friend of mine was taking care of the volunteers who carried scoreboards and raked the bunkers, that kind of thing. I asked her if there was any possibility I could help out. She called me on the Friday night and said "If you want, you can carry a scoreboard tomorrow for one of the foursome matches as one of our guys has injured himself." That's how I ended up doing that! They asked me who I wanted to follow so obviously I said Tiger. I followed Tiger and Bryson DeChambeau against Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. It was one of the best matches I've seen. The Europeans were so good.

I played with DeChambeau around three years ago (in the Georgia Cup as the British Amateur winner) and he was looking around and his eyes crossed my eyes and he said "I think I know you?" It was quite funny because I was carrying the board while he was playing with Tiger. It was a bit strange, but still great to see him. He could have just ignored me, but he came over to me and we had a quick chat. On Friday, Saturday afternoon and Sunday I was with the public where you really can see the difference in atmosphere. When you're there as a fan, it's entirely different than when you're inside the ropes. Inside the ropes you have to worry about your position and be quiet, whereas outside the ropes, although it's similar, you have to make as much noise as you can and support the team. It was tough because I wanted to go crazy with the rest of the fans, but I couldn’t!

The atmosphere on the first tee was amazing. It was really special. As a player it must be even more special because you have to hit the shot. It's so impressive. Even when you're on the first fairway and there are people everywhere, it's like a dream game to be a part of. I was like a kid. I enjoyed it so much. All the players were so good under the pressure. They were doing their own thing, from what I saw. No one was really talking too much because they all know how good they are and how to get the job done. But I also saw that they were a little more animated than in a normal tournament and it's so good to see. In The Ryder Cup this is what fans want to see – the players being a bit different to how they are normally. I will remember what I have seen inside the ropes in the future for sure, and it’ll help me. I was lucky that I got to witness the atmosphere without having to play, as that’s a very different situation to be in. I was already under pressure being in that position and doing the scores!

If I make it to The Ryder Cup team one day, it will be really important for me to remember these experiences. Some people questioned why I wanted to carry a scoreboard as a professional golfer. But I just had to be there and see it from a players’ perspective. I'll already know how it is inside the ropes and how loud that atmosphere is if I’m standing on that first tee one day. It was important for me. Golf is my job but I'm a golf lover firstly. I just love watching golf on TV. So being in that position was like a dream come true and now I'm even more motivated to get my place on a Ryder Cup team.

To make a Ryder Cup team is one of my big ambitions. My dream is to win a Major - either the Masters Tournament or The Open. If I win one of those I'll probably be in The Ryder Cup team. I just focus on doing my own thing and doing my job, which is to be as good as these guys. Being in that position at Le Golf National has really inspired me. Now I know how good I have to be and how prepared I have to be.

I made a lot of changes during the season last year. I changed my coach and my management team. The week before The Ryder Cup I won on the Challenge Tour and that's when I started to play a lot better. Since then I’ve continued playing my game and this year has been a really good one. I haven't won yet, but I've got myself in a lot of good positions. I think it's just because I've made better choices. Now I know where I want to go, how I have to play and just focus on work to get where I want to be.

French players doing well spurs us all on. It helps because as a competitor you always want to be number one in your country, then Europe, then the world. We are all fighting for the same thing, but we all have a good relationship still. I want to finish the season as the number one French player in the Race to Dubai, and I'll fight for that until the end.

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