In 2022, Maude-Aimée Leblanc already had a tournament under her belt on the LPGA at this time of the year. For the 2023 season, the circuit calendar having been modified, it will return to competition only from the end of March only, which however suits its business.
“With my new coach, explains the athlete from Sherbrooke, we changed my momentum this winter. It’s a bit of a technical change, but it’s major. It’s something brand new for me. Basically, I have to neutralize the face of my stick at impact.
Still, is she still looking forward to seeing some action again, she was asked.
“Yes and no,” she replies. Sure it’s been a long time since I found myself on a court to face the other girls, but at the same time the changes in my momentum are so important that this long delay accommodates me. I have more time to apply it perfectly and thus be comfortable when competitions resume.
It is therefore in Arizona, at the end of March, that she will officially resume competition by participating in the LPGA Drive on Championship, which will take place on the fairways of the Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. The LPGA has a few events in Asia until then, events only accepting about 60 players.
Currently, she is qualified for all major tournaments except the US Open.
“That’s why I’m going to work hard to climb the rankings from my first tournaments, in the hope of being able to avoid qualifying to have my place at the US Open”, explains the one who, last year, won the qualifying round for this major tournament.
If she has not returned to competition for several weeks, she is however returning to winter these days. Indeed, Maude-Aimée Leblanc had been living in Florida year-round for a dozen years. In 2022, she returned to settle in the country, more precisely in Estrie.
“It’s good to relive the Quebec winter, I missed it a bit. And that will make me appreciate the heat more when I return to the USA for the competition,” she underlines.
So he still has a few more weeks in Quebec to continue his indoor training (to fine-tune the changes to his swing) before leaving for Arizona.
