Exclusive: Loucks interview

By Matt Cooper Last updated: 6th August 2009

Like any natural performer Breanne Loucks knows exactly how to complete dramatic exits and entrances.

When she brought the curtain down on her amateur career she did it at her home club of Wrexham helping Wales to only their second ever victory in the history of the Home Internationals.

And less than 12 months on, as she looks forward to her first start as a professional in Wales, she does so off the back of a thrilling month that has seen her finish second at the Open de Espana, complete a brilliant qualification for the British Open at Fairhaven and then make her major debut at Royal Lytham.

If that debut was a little chastening (she finished last) it is highly unlikely that it will keep her down because it is hard to believe that Loucks does self-pity.

Her personality is as bright as the clothes she wears.

Sponsored by Harrods By Appointment, the personal shopping service, you half suspect she told them she was a snowboarder not a golfer because in a world of beige she is a shock of colour with trendy Puma clothes, Nike gear and ice blonde hair.

Equally dazzling Oakley sunglasses might conceal the eyes but they can't hide the wide smile - this is a golfer described by BBC commentator Maureen Madill, who coached Loucks in the Welsh development squads, as "an infectious chatterbox, a bundle of energy and just a great little learner."

As she heads across North Wales to Harlech for the S4C Wales Ladies' Championship of Europe, Loucks will be too focused on the present to dwell too much on the past (she understands her sports psychology too well to waste time doing that) but for the rest of us it is worth reading the back story.

Born in Canada but brought up in Wrexham she began playing golf with her brother Ryan and it was soon clear that she had a natural talent for the game.

Once her father acknowledged as much (it took others to point out the obvious!) she was set on an exciting and speedy trip through the Welsh ranks.

In 2006 she was selected for the Curtis Cup and was a sensation thumping US college star Amanda Blumenherst 5&4 in her first match, pairing up with Mel Reid to record a massive 7&5 win in her second and then completing a 100% record with a 3&2 victory in the final singles.

Two years later she made a second Cup appearance at St Andrew's and although she could only register one win, there was another hint of her ability to play well under the severest of pressure.

On day one Loucks and partner Florentyna Parker trailed their foursome opponents by five holes standing on the 13th tee before they unleashed an astonishing recovery to win four of the next five holes.

There was no fairytale finish (they narrowly failed to win the 18th) but if ever a result told onlookers more about the losers than the winners, that was it.

More than 3,000 people had surrounded that famous final green and Loucks did not merely cope with the burden of expectation, she positively thrived on it - knocking her approach to six feet (the unfortunate Parker missed the putt for the half).

"I love being the centre of attention," she told Golf365 at Royal Lytham. "Not in a bad way. I just like hearing people cheering for me. It gives me goose-bumps and makes me feel good. I play so much better when there are people around. I like to perform."

She learned as much in 2003, when, as a 15-year-old, she watched Annika Sorenstam win the Women's British Open at Royal Lytham.

Being stood on the wrong side of the ropes proved inspirational - she realised that she wanted to be playing in an Open, not watching other people do it.

It is one thing to leave the amateur ranks a star, quite another to transfer the promise to the professional stage but Loucks is, as Madill noted, not just bubbly, she is also bright - a good learner.

"Mel Reid is my best friend," she explains, "and so I've seen at close range the way she has built a team around her. Mel gets help from Sir Clive Woodward and they have specialists who deal with all aspects of her game. I took inspiration from what they were achieving and sought to emulate it."

Some things change, others stay the same.

"I've still got the same chief coach though. I've been with Paul Williams for so long and I figure that if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it. He's also like me - hungry to get better. We're learning together."

It is smart study too.

"I got myself profiled. I wanted to know exactly how I worked best - what is needed to help me learn? How and why do I play best? How can I do things better? I discovered that being super-analytical suits me. I love it. I like to find something that needs improvement, then attack it, see the change move me to another level, then find something else to develop."

There are plenty of golfers who discover these things after they fail.

It takes foresight and hunger to make the effort beforehand - which is exactly what Breanne did ahead of the Ladies' European Tour Qualifying School in January.

"It was a strange experience; a weird one and a long one. The first thing I did was to fly out before Christmas to check out the course. I lasered the entire course to get every yardage and to give myself the best chance of making it."

After the holiday period she returned to Spain for a fortnight that would determine her short term future, a pressure that destroys so many hopes.

"I rented an apartment, did things my way, felt at home, tried to make it a relaxed and calm place. I just tried to chill out. It was also important that I had my coach caddying for me. He'd done it before and he knew when to talk about golf and when not to."

Six birdies in a final round 70 earned her the vital card and left no reason to sing the Q-school lament "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda".

What followed were six starts and six cuts made - a solid start but nothing too dramatic until the final day of the Open de Espana at the Panoramica GC in the middle of July.

"That morning I said to myself, 'Wouldn't it be great to shoot a six under par 66?'. That's the truth! I was just thinking, 'How good would that be to finish the day 12 under?' Then I pulled myself together and said, 'Anyway, whatever, let's get real.' But I think my sub-conscience took note - I'd set myself a goal."

But when you have never played at the sharp end, doing it for the first time can be intimidating.

"When I was playing the twelfth I knew I was five under and knew that I should have been on the leaderboard at the back of the green. I did think 'Oh sh-t' and three-putted. But then straight away I pulled myself together. I thought, 'Hang on, why can't I do it?' I relaxed and wanted to go low again. I birdied the next and then birdied the last too.

"If I'd thought about how I might react beforehand, I'd have expected to get a bit scared and hold back at four under. I had so many thoughts going through my head, I was so excited and yet I still found the time to change my mentality. I was proud of that."

A couple of weeks later she could be equally proud of qualifying for her major debut at Lytham (the field at Fairhaven was packed with talent from all over the world) and now she is ready for her return to Wales.

She's in great form, she's loving the tour ("it's so friendly and this is probably sad but I miss it when I get home"), she loves spending time with her best friend Reid ("it's cool, we talk about everything, totally random things") and she's about to be the centre of attention again.

"One of my friends lives in Pwllheli (near Harlech) and his house is going to be totally full of people. It's going to be mental. They've also had to cancel President's Night at Wrexham. No-one was buying tickets because they're all coming to see me, haha!"

What about the golf course, though? Ian Woosnam, another bundle of energy from north-east Wales, calls it the "toughest par 69 in world golf" but it holds no fear for Loucks.

"It's unbelievable and so beautiful, I love it. I've won there too - the Welsh Ladies Amateur Matchplay."

Can she win again this week? That's a really big ask and for all her enthusiasm expectations need to remain sensible but one thing is for sure - she'll have a big gallery and she'll give them full value: the girl loves to perform.

Matt Cooper