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French Connection Pays Big Dividends for ULM Golf

French Connection Pays Big Dividends for ULM Golf

Men's Golf May 12
By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – Only a few months remained before fall classes would start when young Guillaume Fanonnel reached a major decision. 

The native of Lyon, France, wanted to play collegiate golf in the United States. But with so little time remaining and most programs set with their rosters, Fanonnel didn't find many options available. 

"I didn't have many offers," Fanonnel said. "I got a few and ULM was the best opportunity I had. That was my best offer."

ULM Director of Golf Tim Baldwin was already planning to sign two French players in 2016 when he learned that Fanonnel was looking for a landing spot too. Baldwin was intrigued.   

"He had just won the French boys match play around that same time, and he was looking for a place," Baldwin said. "Just prior to that, the French had really been coming on strong with their amateur golf. When I got wind of G, I knew that three French guys at once would be a lot to handle but I just said, 'I'm going to go for it.'"

Now in his fourth season at ULM, Baldwin was in the earlier stages rebuilding the golf program then, but Fanonnel heard enough in the recruiting pitch to believe in what was coming. 

"I knew this program was going to improve, and I definitely wanted to be part of this," Fanonnel said. 

The move was a leap of faith for both the player and coach, but the payoff has been huge in Fanonnel's breakout junior season at ULM. This spring, Fanonnel set a school record with his 71.31 scoring average and was selected to compete as an individual in the 2019 NCAA Stanford Regional, scheduled for May 13-15.

"G has the all-time low stroke average now, going back for the history of the program," Baldwin said. "The best thing about it is that he's coming back for his senior year campaign, and he wants to be one of the Top 100 players in the country.
 
"He averaged 71.31 and there are really no limits. I think he could be 68, 69-something next year if he starts making a few more putts and hitting his wedges a little better."
 
One of 45 individuals selected to compete in the NCAA Championships, Fanonnel becomes the fifth golfer in ULM program history to qualify for the NCAA Regionals, joining Doug Farr (1971), Kenny Buchan (1989), Brad Surles (1995) and Gustaf Kocken (2011). The low individual not a member of an advancing team from each regional will qualify for the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, scheduled for May 24-29 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

"It's an honor to be next to these guys," said Fanonnel, who is listed No. 150 in the latest NCAA Division I player rankings, according to Golfstat.com. "I definitely had a good year. I didn't have a great year, but I played consistently well. I wasn't able to go low on scores, but I pretty much kept every score under par. That's why my average was good."

Fanonnel never even visited Monroe, Louisiana, until he arrived on an oppressively hot day in August. Yet, he never once doubted his choice. 

"I just committed and trusted Coach Baldwin," he said. "Everything was nice and everything was great. I don't regret anything and I'm proud to be part of this program." 

Still, the first two seasons were challenging at times as Fanonnel adjusted culturally to college life in Monroe. Nagging injuries also hindered his game. 

"In the beginning, that was tough, especially in terms of golf," Fanonnel said. "My results weren't as good as expected. I had some swing issues, and that was the first time I was away from my culture. It was tough to adjust."

Said Baldwin: "I tell people all the time, I can't imagine going to France right now and trying to earn a degree in a second language. Can you imagine? But these kids are all doing a great job. G is a 3.5 student as a business administration major. All of our French kids are above a 3.0. They had to take developmental English in their very first semester and they just had a steady progression. They were all kind of quiet initially and now they're talking a lot and very comfortable."

As Fanonnel found his footing as a student-athlete, he was able to hone his craft. He listened to his coaches and made changes in his workout regimen that paid dividends. 

"It's not easy to go to a different country," he admitted. "You just have to adapt to it. I think it's been a great experience to go to a different country and compete with other players from everywhere around the world. Playing college golf is like playing against the best in the world, so it's a great experience and a great opportunity to be here."

This season, he's taken a major step forward with his game.  

"He's just maturing more than anything else," Baldwin said. "It's just been a steady progression. He was always a good ball striker and always been kind of an average to poor putter. He had a pretty good short game other than putting. But his putting is coming around now. That's probably the biggest difference." 

Fanonnel has also taken control of the mental portion of his game too, which keeps one bad shot from leading to a flurry of mistakes.

"He's a perfectionist, so he doesn't deal with hitting a bad shot very well," Baldwin said. "He doesn't accept it. Now, if he hits a bad shot, he goes and finds it and hits it again. He's not spending as much time beating himself up over a mistake anymore. He's on to the next shot."

Fanonnel leads the Warhawks in scoring average, par 3 scoring (3.01), par 4 scoring (4.10), par 5 scoring (4.60), eagles (7), pars per round (11.54) and fairways hit (.756). He also ranks tied for third on the team in birdies with 83. Fanonnel has posted four Top 15 finishes, including three in the Top 5. He has scored 72 or lower in 19 of his 26 rounds, including six rounds in the 60s.

"He drives it exceptionally well," Baldwin said. "He's tall, he's thin and hits it really long, but he's also very accurate. That combination is lethal."

Fanonnel clinched ULM's semifinal victory over No. 1-seed Georgia Southern, 3-2, in the Sun Belt Championships, converting a 2-foot putt on the second playoff hole to beat Ben Carr, 1 up. His birdie putt on 18 forced the sudden-death playoff against UT Arlington in the third round of the Sun Belt Championships. He finished in 13th place at the conference championships with a 5-under-par 208 (74-70-68). The 68 marked his lowest third-round score of the season.
  
Baldwin and assistant Nathan Weant will accompany Fanonnel to the NCAA Regional at the Stanford Golf Course, where the player is eager to showcase his skills.

"In my head, it's just a normal tournament," Fanonnel said. "I haven't done anything different to prepare. I just stick to my routine and do the same things. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I'm just going to go there and play my golf, focus on all my key points on the course, like ball language, attitude and positivity. All the things I can control, and hopefully, it will turn out pretty good."  

 
 
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