Betrothed Bouniol revelling in life on course and off

<strong>By Nick Totten, europeantour.com</strong>

With plenty of money to play for in what promises to be a thrilling climax to the European Challenge Tour season, debutant Cyril Bouniol has plenty of reasons to be excited, as he prepares to battle it out for a place on The Race to Dubai – but first, the small matter of his upcoming nuptials.

Based in Texas, after having gone to university in America, the Frenchman is one of the second tier’s most cheerful characters, and a welcoming smile is never far from his lips come rain or shine, good form and bad.

Luckily for him there has not been much of the latter, as the 27 year old has continued to be one of this season’s most consistent competitors, posting three top five finishes so far en route to 18th spot on the Rankings.

Bouniol’s tie for fifth at the Challenge de Catalunya in only his third start on the circuit was a strong start to the campaign, and he subsequently followed that with a tie for fourth at the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda in June, before a third place finish a few weeks ago at the Norwegian Challenge.

With his wedding to school sweetheart Sharlotte (yes that is the correct spelling) back in Abilene due on Saturday, it is no surprise that the Frenchman is enjoying life right now, and after a few weeks rest ahead of the season-ending Final Swing, he is excited to try and post a run of results that will see him graduate to The European Tour at the first time of asking.

“I was in the top 15 at the beginning of the season, and ever since I’ve had spells where I would get up near it again before falling back, but all that matters is being in it when the last putt drops in Dubai,” said the always genial Bouniol. “It is good to be in this position though, and if a win comes then I know that the Tour card is in my pocket. I’m just trying to play as consistently as I can, and learn from every tournament, and hopefully before the end of the season I can earn enough points to get the Tour card.

“If not, then I will have a chance at Q-School, and if I don’t do it there then it is only a matter of time before I get myself in a good enough position to move up.

“I knew at the beginning of the year that 2014 was going to be a big year for me in my personal life and golf wise, so it is all good, and if on the side I can play some great golf then that is just a bonus. My life is not only golf, it is just a job and a passion, but it is nice when things are going well in your personal life so it is definitely an exciting time for me.

“It is going to be nice to have three weeks off now, with the wedding as well, as I’ve got family coming over. It will be back in Texas in Abilene, as she is from there and we met there at school, so it is going to be exciting.”

The life of a professional golfer is one that requires a lot of commitment, with hours spent on the range, and weeks at a time lost to global travel. An understanding partner is therefore key for someone just starting out their career, and as far as Bouniol is concerned, that is exactly what he has found in his bride to be.

“She is really supportive and has been great since we started dating as she knows how important golf is for me, and that I would be miserable without it, so she would rather have me gone and chasing my dream,” said the man who finished in a tie for ninth last time out at the Kazakhstan Open, after having played his second round without the nine iron he left in his hotel room.

“It is great to have her so supportive and married life is not going to change things too much. We already live together, so it will just reinforce that commitment, and it will be nice to have those three weeks rest. She might even come out to Dubai to watch me play, which would be exciting, so hopefully I’ll get there already with my Tour card as that would be fun.

“It is an exciting time though, and a few changes I have been making have started to feel good on the course. I am no longer as worried or scared as I was in the first round in Kazakhstan, as I know where the ball is going to go. I’m getting more control, and the putting feels good too, so I’ll just keep that mind-set.”