France’s own Celine Boutier has defeated England’s Georgia Hall in a playoff at the LPGA Drive On Championship.
Before claiming her third LPGA triumph with a birdie at the first extra hole, Boutier, who is just 29 years old, birdied the 18th hole to tie Hall on 20-under.
English Georgia Hall, 26, almost missed her birdie try in the play-off after shooting a joint-best final round of 65
In Arizona, the tour’s first full-field competition of the year, Ayaka Furue of Japan came in third with a score of 19-under.
After three rounds at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club, Boutier retained the lead and, thanks to a four-under 68, forced a playoff.
Hall had a seven-under round, making seven birdies and an eagle, but former Solheim Cup teammate Boutier birdied the par-five 18th to force a sudden-death hole.
Regarding going up against Hall in the playoffs, Boutier admitted, “I was not looking forward to it. Winning is obviously what you want, but at the same time, I believe she’s a terrific player, so it’s a bittersweet feeling.
She is one of my closest friends. Therefore, I feel like it’s not always simple, but I also feel like I certainly wanted to win, because I’m a little bit competitive. “
“Naturally, it was amazing to get to the situation I was in,” Georgia Hall remarked. “I was aware that I had to make today’s shot low, and I’m devastated about the play-off.
