Which boules does Henri Lacroix play?

Henri Lacroix is named as a member of Team Boulenciel, the Italian brand's sponsored squad, in a February 2026 report. His exact model, diameter and weight have not been published by the brand, so we don't list a specific setup for him.

Which boules does Diego Rizzi play?

Diego Rizzi is a Team Boulenciel player and has his own signature model, the Boulenciel RD by Rizzi Diego: a limited-edition, very soft carbon-steel boule designed for shooting. Retail listings offer it in 73-74 mm and 680-700 g.

Which boules does Dylan Rocher play?

According to Obut's own team page (updated August 2026), Dylan Rocher plays the Obut ATX in 73 mm and 680 g. The ATX is a semi-soft stainless-steel boule rated at about 130 kg/mm2.

What's the difference between the boules pros use and beginner boules?

Pro-level boules are built to tighter manufacturing tolerances and offered in precise hardness/diameter/weight combinations chosen to match a player's game (for example a very soft carbon boule for a shooter who wants boules to stick, or a semi-soft stainless one for a player who wants durability and low maintenance). Beginner sets prioritise durability and a forgiving, all-round hardness instead. See our boule weight and size guide for how to translate what the pros use into a sensible starting setup.

Which Boules Do Top Pétanque Players Use? (2026 Roundup)

Q: Do most professional petanque players use Obut?

Obut sponsors more elite players than any other brand. Its 2025 team roster includes Dylan Rocher, Philippe Quintais, Philippe Suchaud, Christian Fazzino, Marco Foyot, Tyson Molinas, Jesús Escacho Alarcón and Angélique Colombet (Papon). Rival brands have signed big names too: Boulenciel's team includes Diego Rizzi and Henri Lacroix.

One of the questions we get asked most after "how good is player?" is simpler: what boules do they actually play with? Pétanque fans searching for "avec quelle boule joue Henri Lacroix" or "Diego Rizzi boule" aren't just curious - equipment choice is one of the clearest windows into how an elite player approaches the game, and it's a genuinely useful reference when you're shopping for your own set.

Below is a roundup of the boules used by some of the sport's biggest current and recent stars. Where we could confirm a setup with the manufacturer (for example Obut's official team profiles, last updated August 2026), we say so. Where a brand or model is only reported in secondary sources, we label it reported, and where nothing is published we say that too. Every player links through to their full profile for career details.

At a glance

Player	Country	Brand	Model	Notes
Dylan Rocher	France	Obut	ATX	73 mm, 680 g (Obut team profile); semi-soft stainless, ~130 kg/mm2
Jesús Escacho Alarcón	Spain	Obut	RCC	73 mm, 690 g (Obut team profile)
Marco Foyot	France	Obut	Match+ and ATX	Match+ on stony ground, ATX on sandier ground (Obut profile)
Philippe Suchaud	France	Obut	ATX	Obut links his profile to an ATX set; diameter and weight not published
Philippe Quintais	France	Obut	ATX (reported)	Obut team member; model not listed by Obut
Christian Fazzino	France	Obut	ATX (reported)	Obut team member; model and specs not listed by Obut
Tyson Molinas	France	Obut	Not publicly confirmed	On Obut's 2025 men's team roster
Angélique Papon	France	Obut	Not publicly confirmed	On Obut's 2025 women's team roster (as Angélique Colombet)
Diego Rizzi	Italy	Boulenciel	RD (signature)	Very soft carbon steel; sold in 73-74 mm, 680-700 g
Henri Lacroix	France	Boulenciel	Not publicly confirmed	Named in Team Boulenciel (2026)
Jessica Johansson	Sweden	Boulenciel (reported)	Diego Rizzi Carbone 110 (reported)	Not confirmed by the brand
Claudy Weibel	Belgium	Toro Petank (reported)	Not confirmed	Not on Obut's current team roster
Damien Hureau	France	Valtop (reported)	i-STAR (reported)	Not on Obut's current team roster

Obut still sponsors the most elite players

The clearest pattern is that Obut backs more top players than any other manufacturer. Its official 2025 roster names 34 men and 15 women, including Dylan Rocher, Philippe Quintais, Philippe Suchaud, Christian Fazzino, Marco Foyot, Tyson Molinas, Jesús Escacho Alarcón and Angélique Colombet (Papon).

Obut only publishes exact setups for some of them. Rocher is listed with the Obut ATX in 73 mm and 680 g, and Escacho Alarcón with the Obut RCC in 73 mm and 690 g. Obut's profile of Marco Foyot says he favours the Match+ on stony terrain and the ATX on sandier ground for its balance and consistency. Suchaud's profile links to an ATX set, but no diameter or weight is given, so earlier figures of 72 mm/700 g that circulate online are unconfirmed. For Quintais and Fazzino the ATX is widely reported, but Obut has not yet published their sets.

The ATX itself is Obut's high-end stainless competition boule. Obut describes it as semi-soft ("demi-tendre"), at approximately 130 kg/mm2, offered from 71 to 76 mm (plus 80 mm) and 650 to 750 g.

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