The story of Ugo Coussaud is that of a French golfer who wasn’t particularly good with the little white ball and who, ten years after leaving the Rouge et Or program at Laval University, qualified to play one of them full-time play the most prestigious racetracks in the world, where Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm also sometimes play.
“I was neither very good at golf nor very good at school! » says the golfer from Biarritz in an interview with the Journal, who, after completing his studies in France in 2010, decided to travel to Quebec at the suggestion of a friend.
Ugo Coussaud during a Challenge Tour tournament in Scotland during the 2022 season. Photo provided by Ugo Coussaud and the Challenge Tour
Back then, Coussaud wasn’t thinking about one day having a professional career, and certainly wasn’t thinking about getting his place on the DP World Tour, the circuit that until recently was called the PGA European Tour.
But he was also far from being a bad golfer, whatever he said.
“He told a little lie, I think!” Or when he thinks back to his student days, he doesn’t think he’s as good as he is today,” replies Mathieu Paradis, the head coach of the men’s team Rouge et Or, who served as a coach during that time Acting as deputy, Laughing Coussaud’s time with the program between 2010 and 2013.
Ugo Coussaud during his years with the Rouge et Or golf program at the University of Laval. Photo provided by Yan Doublet / Rouge et Or
“He was already a very good golfer,” adds coach Paradis and above all praises the performance of his former protégé. “Of course he wasn’t nearly as good as he is today. In his first year he was one of our best players. »
“If you talk to former team members, we already knew back then that he would do something with golf,” explains Mathieu Paradis.
An “impossibly predictable” climb
However, it was “impossible to predict” that Coussaud would achieve full-time status on the DP World Tour.
Because in top golf, as in most sporting disciplines, there are many professionals, but only a few chosen ones.
Furthermore, the 30-year-old golfer’s career has not been going smoothly since he left the Rouge et Or. After turning professional seven years ago, he gradually made a name for himself in the Challenge Tour, the division of the DP Weltreise.
“Fail” to be more successful
Every year the 20 best golfers on the Challenge Tour advance to the “European PGA”, where, like the American PGA, the purses are more expensive.
Coussaud became close to him in the past. But it wasn’t until this year that things really worked out. How ? “At 80%, it’s quite in-depth work that took time,” he notes. And in my mind I agreed to let go of the results a little, to accept the failure, and there it was finally: I succeeded. »
He also won his first Challenge Tour title in India in March. And since he is at the top of the circuit rankings, he has been assured for some time that he will reach the next level in 2024.
Ugo Coussaud celebrates his first victory on the Challenge Tour, achieved in India in March 2023, in his sixth season on the circuit. Photo provided by Ugo Coussaud and the Challenge Tour
“It’s very cool. Finally, finally! he said quietly, before adding later in the interview that his story was actually “completely unbelievable.”
Because now the sky is the limit, as they say in English. If his results are good enough, Ugo Coussaud can take part in major tournaments next season.
“If you had told young Ugo, who when he arrived in Quebec didn’t know how to order a burger because he didn’t understand the accent, that one day he would be able to ride the DP, he would have been surprised . In any case, it’s a great adventure,” smiles the man, who now counts Lacoste and Taylormade among his sponsors.
Like he was drafted into the NFL
Mathieu Paradis, in turn, highlights the perseverance of Coussaud, whom he trained from afar for a while after his return to France and with whom he is still in contact.
“If you had spoken to him six years ago, things wouldn’t have gone so well,” he states. He could have given up, like many others. But he made the effort, and that’s his credit. »
Coussaud’s achievements are of course a great success for Paradis, but also for all members of the Rouge et Or program, whose primary goal is not to train professional golfers.
Ugo Coussaud during his years with the Rouge et Or golf program at the University of Laval. Photo provided by Yan Doublet / Rouge et Or
“I think people don’t realize how powerful what he did is,” Mathieu Paradis continues. We tried to find comparisons, Kevin [Bergeron], the other Rouge et Or coach and I, and it’s like a Rouge et Or guy being recruited into the NFL. »
What about the PGA of America?
Coussaud already knows a little about the DP World Tour. He has attended some of its events over the years. And when he recognizes that the caliber is higher than on the Challenge Tour and the golfers there are more “normal,” he also points out that “these are still golf tournaments.”
Ugo Coussaud tees off at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final at the end of the 2022 season. Ugo Coussaud and the Challenge Tour
“Anything is possible in a week. And after a year like the one I had, I know I deserve my place up there,” he says.
And is the American PGA in the sights of the aspiring golfer?
“I would go for a few years, because that’s where it’s obviously most interesting, both financially and sportingly. But I do not aspire to end my days in the United States,” emphasizes the one who “hates” Uncle Sam’s country.
“Go Rouge et Or, go!” »
So Coussaud doesn’t like the United States, but he loves Canada, and he retains precious memories of those who at Rouge et Or helped get him to where he is today. Of course also Mathieu Paradis.
Coincidentally, he even gave “a little speech” to the program participants.
And when we ask him at the end of the interview if he would like to add anything else, Ugo Coussaud replies: “Go Rouge et Or, go!” “.
Ugo Coussaud in some statistics
- 1 win on the Challenge Tour (The Challenge presented by KGA, with a total of -18)
- 1st in the overall ranking for the 2023 Challenge Tour season, as of September 28th
- 22 starts on the Challenge Tour in 2023: nine top-20 finishes, four top-5 finishes
- Played an average of 70.85 per round on the Challenge Tour in 2023
- Five DP World Tour tournament appearances this season (defying the cut three times)
- His best result on the DP World Tour this season: a tie for 59th at the Soudal Open, with a total of -2)
- Played an average of 72.9 per round on the DP World Tour in 2023
- Averaged 295 yards of tee shots on the DP World Tour this season (Challenge Tour stats not available)