The story of Ugo Coussaud is that of a French golfer who did not find himself very good with the little white ball and who, 10 years after leaving the Rouge et Or program at Laval University, he is qualified to play full-time on one of the most prestigious circuits on the planet, where Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm also sometimes play.
“I wasn’t very good at golf or very good at school! » says in an interview with Newspaper the golfer from Biarritz, who, once his studies in France were completed in 2010, chose to head 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
At the time, Coussaud was far from thinking of one day having a career among the pros, and, even less, of having his place on the DP World Tour, this circuit which 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 it’s that when he thinks back to his university years, he didn’t think he was as good as he is today,” replies with a laugh Mathieu Paradis, the head coach of the Rouge et Or men’s team, who served as deputy during Coussaud’s time with the program, between 2010 and 2013.
Ugo Coussaud during his years with the Rouge et Or golf program at Laval University.
Photo provided by Yan Doublet / Rouge et Or
“He was already a very good golfer,” adds coach Paradis, praising in particular the power shown by his former protégé at the time. “Of course, he was nowhere near as good as he is today. In his first year, he was one of our best players. »
“If you talk to former members of the team, at the time, we already knew that he was going to do something with golf,” Mathieu Paradis also explains.
An “impossible to predict” climb
However, it was “impossible to predict” that Coussaud would obtain full-time status on the DP World Tour.
Because in elite golf, as in the majority of sporting disciplines, there are many called, but few chosen.
Moreover, the 30-year-old golfer’s career has not been smooth sailing since his departure from the Rouge et Or. Having become a pro seven years ago, he has gradually made his mark within the Challenge Tour, which is the division under the DP World Tour.
“Fail”, to be more successful
Each year, the 20 best golfers on the Challenge Tour are promoted to the “European PGA”, where, as is the case in the American PGA, the purses are more expensive, in particular.
Coussaud has come close in the past. But it was this year that things really clicked. How ? “At 80%, it’s work, quite deep, which took time,” he notes. And mentally, I agreed to let go of the results a little, to accept failure, and there it was, finally, it succeeded. »
He also won his first title on the Challenge Tour in March, in India. And as he sits at the top of the circuit rankings, he has been assured for a while of moving to the next level in 2024.
Ugo Coussaud celebrates his first victory on the Challenge Tour, won 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 indeed “completely unbelievable.”
Because now the sky is the limit, as they say in English. If his results are good enough, Ugo Coussaud will be able to participate in major tournaments next season.
“If you had told young Ugo who, when he arrived in Quebec, did not know how to order a burger because he did not understand the accent, that he would one day manage to ride the DP, he would have been surprised. Absolutely, 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, for his part, notes the perseverance of Coussaud, whom he continued to train for a while, remotely, upon 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 notes. He could have given up, like many guys did. But he put in the effort, and that’s to his credit. »
Coussaud’s successes are obviously a big hit for Paradis, but also for all the 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 Laval University.
Photo provided by Yan Doublet / Rouge et Or
“I think people don’t realize how strong it is, what he did,” continues Mathieu Paradis. We were trying to find comparisons, Kevin [Bergeron], the other Rouge et Or coach, and me, and it’s like a Rouge et Or guy getting recruited into the NFL. »
What about the PGA of America?
Coussaud already knows a little about the DP World Tour. He has competed in a few of its events over the years. And if he recognizes that the caliber is higher than on the Challenge Tour and that the golfers there are more “regular”, he also points out “that they are still golf tournaments”.
Ugo Coussaud hits a tee shot during the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final, at the end of the 2022 season.
Ugo Coussaud and the Challenge Tour
“In one week, anything is possible. And with 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 golfer on the rise?
“I would go for a few years, because obviously that’s where it’s the 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!” »
Coussaud doesn’t like the United States, therefore, but he loves Canada, and he keeps precious memories of those who contributed, at the Rouge et Or, to bring him to where he is today. Including Mathieu Paradis, of course.
He even happened to give “a little speech » to program members.
And when we ask him, at the end of the interview, if there is anything he would like to add, Ugo Coussaud says “Go Rouge et Or, go!” “.
Ugo Coussaud in some statistics
- 1 victory on the Challenge Tour (The Challenge presented by KGA, with a total of -18)
- 1er in the standings for the 2023 Challenge Tour season as of September 28
- 22 starts on the Challenge Tour in 2023: nine top 20s, four top 5s
- Played an average of 70.85 per round on the Challenge Tour in 2023
- Five DP World Tour tournament appearances this season (resisted the cut three times)
- His best result on the DP World Tour this season: 59e tied at 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 (stat not available for Challenge Tour)