In the lead since the second round, the Frenchwoman Céline Boutier only increased her lead during the last two days of the LPGA tournament in Evian to offer herself a first grand slam title filled with serenity on Sunday, becoming the third Frenchwoman to achieve such performance. Before her, only Catherine Lacoste in 1967 and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc in 2003 had won one of the five major tournaments on the women’s circuit.
A rare performance, which places her among the serious contenders one year before the Paris Olympics next summer. “It’s hard to imagine that I marked French Golf, it’s been an incredible journey and I hope it’s not the end,” said the Frenchwoman after lifting the trophy.
In 2019, Céline Boutier was in a good position to win the US Open, but the native of Montrouge had collapsed on the final day. Co-leader after the third round, she finally finished fifth, three strokes from the title.
On the shores of Lake Geneva, the Frenchwoman did not miss her chance a second time. Very applied in front of an audience committed to her cause, Céline Boutier continued her momentum from the day before, making three birdies on the first five holes on Sunday.
Ideally placed 18 holes from the end with three strokes ahead of the Japanese Nasa Hataoka, the 15th player in the world increased her lead to five strokes over the second, the Canadian Brooke Henderson, halfway through.
“I watched the gap a bit on the last few holes, but before that I mainly focused on my game,” explained the Frenchwoman after the tournament.
Despite windy conditions, the 29-year-old golfer then calmly managed the comeback to finish with a card of 68 (-3 under par) and win six strokes ahead of Brooke Henderson, titled in 2022 on the course. Savoyard, who became a Major on the women’s circuit in 2013.
“It was my biggest dream. If I had to win a tournament, it was Évian. I didn’t expect it this week, but I’m very happy to have been able to share this with my family and with the French public,” said Céline Boutier after her victory.
“It was pretty amazing to see so many people around 18, to hear the cheers from the crowd. I couldn’t ask for more,” she added.
In March, Céline Boutier had already marked the history of French golf becoming, after her victory at the Drive On Championship in Arizona, the most successful Frenchwoman on the circuit ahead of Patricia Meunier-Lebouc and Anne-Marie Palli, with three titles.
“It’s weird to be part of French golf history, but I try not to think too much about the scale of things, because that tends to stress me out a little bit more,” she explained to l. AFP in September 2022, a few days after becoming the highest ranked French golfer in history, rising to 14th in the world.
With this first major success acquired at home on Sunday, the Frenchwoman scores points and gains confidence one year from the golf event of the Olympic Games.
“This victory gives me a little more confidence for the Olympics next year, especially in managing the pressure with the public. I know the course very well and I can’t wait to be there,” she said at a press conference.
34th at the Tokyo Games, Céline Boutier is well positioned to continue writing the history of French golf on the greens of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in 2024.
