Martin Couvra: “We had to recite the poetry and I managed to do it”

Martin Couvra managed his first on the European circuit perfectly. From the height of his 19 years, the amateur of Terre Blanche signed an excellent 66 (-5) which places him in 4th place after the first round.

Interview by Nathan CARDET at the Golf National

Golf Planète: We imagine you necessarily happy after this first day?

Martin covered: Super happy ! Afterwards, we really knew the course well having played the World’s Championships two weeks ago here. So, I was quite calm on the game plan. This one is very good at the moment… I felt ready. You had to recite the poetry and I managed to do it.

GP: How did you feel at the start of 1?

M.C : I was stressed. I had a lump in my stomach, my heart beating quite hard but that’s what we like. I tried to manage it well, I hit a first medium shot, but it was there and the game was on.

GP: A first in the deep end of the DP World Tour, what does it feel like?

M.C. : Honestly, it’s “phew”! We want to be there every week. We are where we want to be when we turn pro later. It’s a dream to be here among the best. The fact of really putting your foot in it, you can only be happy.

I’m going to try to approach the course in the same way, it’s just trying to do “Couvra” again from 1 to 18 and that’s it!

GP: Tom Vaillant and Oihan Guillamoundeguy are also under par. How do you explain the fine performance of the French amateurs?

M.C. : The staff of the French team, it does the job very well… We all work very well on our side and the level of play is present among the amateurs, but also among the French pros. And we play at home, we know the course very well, the public is there for us, we are really well surrounded. If we show up with the right intensity and do things right from the 1st, it can only go well!

All fans think that a good performance can allow us to be invited next week and it can happen very quickly

GP: How do you see this second round?

M.C. : It’s difficult to follow up after a very low card… Afterwards, it’s the same poetry that I’m going to have to recite tomorrow. The game plan will be the same, although the flags will be different. I’m going to try to approach the course in the same way… It’s just trying to do “Couvra” again from 1 to 18 and that’s it!

GP: The Worlds two weeks ago were different, different pressure, did you feel more relaxed today?

M.C.  : I think I had that much pressure, but not even there. At the World Championships, there was a real cool pressure, we were there, we felt that we were ready, all together, it was a very pleasant pressure. There, it was more tension, I felt more comfortable at the start of the 1st of the Worlds. It was less pleasant today, I was tense with a lump in my stomach. There, we play our career, the Worlds were huge, we wanted to win but it’s at the amateur level, we knew it was the end and we wanted to “kiffer” as much as possible. All the amateurs say to themselves that a good performance can allow us to be invited next week and it can be linked very quickly…

GP: There is also the objective of finishing as the best amateur…

M.C. : It’s sure and certain (smiles) ! We are the 6 in competition to be the best amateur. We all know each other very well, we see each other often and we are all friends, so we want to give the best of us. There is no bet but it’s a matter of being able to chamber the others!

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