Out of the Blue: Leslie Cloots
September 18, 2014 | Women's Golf
By Ben Brown
Leslie Cloots came to Carolina from Belgium to play golf. After a year of experience, Cloots performed well in international tournaments over the summer and is ready to improve even more this year.
Ben Brown: In your opinion what is the toughest shot in golf?
Leslie Cloots: “I don't think there's one type of shot that I'm afraid of or something. I always like lob shots, because it's challenging and I like it and it takes more feeling. I mean a putt to win is scary, but I don't really have a shot that I'm afraid of.”
BB: How was your experience at the World Amateur Team Championships?
LC: “It was really cool; I still have a jet lag pretty hard though (the tournament was played in Karuizawa, Japan). It was fun to see all of the different countries. I played in the tournament two years ago in Turkey, so I already knew the girls so the atmosphere was good. I didn't play that well. The first day I didn't hit it that well so that didn't give me chances to score very well. Then the days after I hit it really well, but then I couldn't putt it in.”
BB: You came in second place at the British Ladies Amateur Championship this summer. What was that tournament like for you?
LC: “I haven't played that well, ever, so that was a very good tournament. Especially after my freshman year in America with everything new, then coming back to Europe and playing well at the British, which is always nice. That week was actually pretty tough for me because my grandparent died that week, so mentally that was tough and the week was really long.”
BB: How did you end up playing so well while you were in a tough mental state?
LC: “I just played shot by shot and tried not to think about it too much. I was playing well, so I was enjoying the game. I was playing at a great course and I pretty much knew all of the competitors that I was playing against. So I was just keeping it in the present.”
BB: What's your favorite thing to do with your teammates outside of golf?
LC: “I like to go to music events like festivals and concerts. I love music and I like anything electronic.”
BB: Do you like playing as an individual in golf more or as a team?
LC: “My first experience with team golf here in college was very different. Mentally, you're playing for the team but you shouldn't think like that because it's not good for you. I don't know, I love team events though, like the World Championships and the European Championships, they're my favorite weeks of the year. So in college they're kind of the same. I like both though because I like traveling with the team.”
BB: Since you've been in college, what part of your game has improved the most?
LC: “Probably my mental game, just the way I view golf. I don't get mad that much and I keep calm. It's just another day. We do all these exercises like breathing and stuff like that that really got me thinking about how much it actually works. Because you're always thinking to keep calm but it doesn't always happen like 1-2-3. You need to kind of soak it in and I think that happened for me last year.”
Players Mentioned
