Small Island to Big Fairways

The first time I left home to chase golf, I didn’t know exactly what I was stepping into. I just knew that staying comfortable wasn’t going to make me better.

Moving to mainland France at 17 meant colder weather, tougher competition, and learning how to stand on my own without my family nearby. It was the first real test of whether golf was just something I loved or something I was willing to build my life around.

That year changed me. Competing against players who were older and stronger forced me to raise my standards every day. I learned how to adapt quickly, how to stay disciplined when things didn’t feel familiar, and how to trust myself in uncomfortable situations.

Those lessons followed me when I crossed the Atlantic for the first time and stepped onto an American golf course, realizing that the journey was getting bigger, faster, and far more demanding than anything I had known before.

Before France. Before America. Before Nebraska. There was a small island where everything started.

Finding Golf on Reunion Island

I was born and raised on Reunion Island, a small French territory near Madagascar. It’s home in every sense of the word. Golf wasn’t the most popular sport there, but I was lucky. There was a course just five minutes from my house, and my uncle already played.

One day, my dad, my uncle, and I went out together, and I tried golf when I was about seven or eight years old. It felt natural right away. I didn’t have to force anything. I just knew this was something I wanted to keep doing.

Growing up, I played multiple sports. Soccer, tennis, and golf were all part of my life. Soccer came first, and I was good at it, but I never loved relying on a team. I preferred individual sports where everything depended on me.

When my dad asked me to choose, soccer was the first to go. Later, I had to decide between tennis and golf. At the time, I might have been better at tennis, but golf pulled me in a different way. I couldn’t explain it logically. I just loved the grind.

What drew me in was the idea that golf is never perfect. You’re never finished. You’re always chasing something better, knowing you’ll never fully catch it.

That challenge fit my personality. I focused fully on golf by the time I was 12, and the results came quickly. I won the Reunion Island championship two times in a row, even against adults, but I also knew the competition was limited.

If I wanted to grow, I had to leave.

Learning Independence in France

Moving to France was my first real step into independence. I lived with a host family and trained at a golf academy linked to a high school in the northeast part of the country.

The language wasn’t an issue, but the weather was. Growing up in a tropical climate doesn’t prepare you for winter in France.

The competition, though, was exactly what I needed. I wasn’t the best player anymore, and I loved that. Playing against stronger, older golfers pushed me every day. Early on, I finished as vice champion of France and climbed into the top 25 of the national rankings, which showed me that I belonged. But more importantly, I learned how to compete without comfort.

That year confirmed something I already knew. My goal was always the United States. College golf at the highest level. I had been thinking about it since I was 13.

Proving Myself in America

My first stop in the U.S. was Cameron University in Oklahoma. The adjustment wasn’t easy. Even though I spoke English, understanding the accent took time. The town itself was quiet, very different from anything I had known before. But when it came to golf, I felt ready.

I knew I was capable of more than Division II, but I also knew this was my chance to prove it. I qualified immediately, finishing five rounds 25 shots ahead.

From there, everything clicked. I never finished outside the top five that fall, won a tournament, and earned my coach’s trust as a leader, even as a freshman.

After that season, I entered the transfer portal with one goal in mind: Division I.

Nebraska stood out right away. The facilities, the support, the training table, but more than anything, the people. The coaches believed in me, and that mattered.

When I arrived in Lincoln, I wanted to showcase my skills, but most importantly, I wanted to grow.

Growth, Leadership, and the Breakthrough

Nebraska changed me as a person. 

I wasn’t naturally vocal or focused on leadership. But I saw what the team needed, and I learned from players like Hamish Murray, who showed me what discipline looks like every day. Living with someone who treated every detail seriously pushed me to do the same.

That growth showed itself on the course last fall at the Git-R’-Done Invitational. A year earlier, it had been one of my worst tournaments. This time, everything came together.

After adjusting my swing and mindset, I showed up confident and patient. I played shot by shot, stayed in the flow, and closed with a nice 64.

It wasn’t a surprise. I knew I could do it. But it was a confirmation.

Balancing golf and academics hasn’t been easy. We miss class, we travel constantly, and the days are long. Discipline is the only way it works. You practice, then you study. No excuses.

Looking ahead, my goals are clear. Winning with this team. Competing at nationals. And beyond college, the PGA Tour isn’t just a dream anymore. It’s an objective. I know the work it requires, and I’m willing to put it in.

I don’t measure my journey by where it started, but by how far I’ve been willing to go. From a small island to France, from Oklahoma to Nebraska, every move has demanded more of me.

And I’m still chasing what’s next.