Rising French star Victor Dubuisson’s efforts in the desert last week were great news for golf, Paul McGinley and the Ryder Cup.
The man from Cannes got everybody talking with his performance in finishing runner-up to Jason Day at the WGC Matchplay event in Arizona.
Dubuisson appears to be an overnight sensation, but look more closely at his record and he has all the credentials to reach the very top.
He was the world’s No 1 amateur and won a string of events before he turned professional in 2010 and went on to secure his European Tour card at Q-school.
Still only 23, Dubuisson made good progress before he performed very impressively to win his maiden tournament at the Turkish Open in November.
The way he held off the cream of European golf on the final day showed he had a very strong temperament as he looked so comfortable. Then, last week he claimed a host of notable scalps en route to the final.
He had a tough draw but to beat Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els suggests this is a determined individual.
Obviously, those two miraculous shots from the desert in the extra holes in the final grabbed the headlines but he had the audacity to try them.
However, they would have been forgotten if he’d missed the putts. Holing them was the sign of a good player. His play drew comparisons with Seve Ballesteros, That’s unfair. There’s only one Seve.
But Dubuisson likes his own company and in that respect, he’s very much like Sir Nick Faldo. A pro needs to be happy in his own skin as a lot of the time you’re alone on the course.
Paul McGinley will also be a happy man having watched the Frenchman virtually guarantee his place at Gleneagles for the Ryder Cup. You want a young player to break through and Victor’s done that.
Paul can now spend the next few months getting to know him and working out who he could play with in foursomes and fourballs.
Dubuisson showed his matchplay credentials and now he can look forward to performing well in the four Majors.
Not only is Victor’s emergence a positive for this year, it’s terrific for French golf ahead of their Ryder Cup in four years’ time.
France has had some good players down the years, but it’s not a golfing nation. But they’ll take notice if they have a budding champion in their ranks.
Dubuisson could have the same effect as Seve had in Spain or Bernhard Langer in Germany. He’s young, talented and he could be the poster boy for 2018.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe