With a convincing win in the Evian Championship in France, home crowd favourite Celine Boutier captured her first major championship.
After shooting 68 in the final round on Sunday, the 29-year-old increased her overnight three-shot lead to finish six shots ahead on 14 under.
The Evian Resort Golf Club has never had a French champion until Boutier. Brooke Henderson, the reigning champion from Canada, came in second on eight under.
Boutier, who had three birdies in her first five holes, stated, “It was obviously not easy and the conditions were rough so I just tried to keep focused on each hole at a time. I thought I handled the opening holes quite nicely. On hole one, I had an excellent opportunity, and the putt on hole two was a bonus. Since I first started watching golf, it has been my greatest desire. It’s incredible for me to hold this trophy since this tournament has been significant to me.”
“You can always play better, but I feel like I was extremely consistent throughout all four rounds despite the challenging playing circumstances. This week, I’m pleased with my game and level. Now that I have this trophy, nothing else matters, and I’m pretty good for the remainder of the year.”
Through the first nine holes, Boutier was in control, but a bogey on the thirteenth reduced her advantage to four strokes and offered the pursuing group some hope.However, a spectacular birdie at the challenging 15th hole effectively put an end to the competition when Nasa Hataoka of Japan, who had been second overnight, dropped to equal third on seven under.
Boutier becomes the third French woman to win a major after Patricia Meunier Lebouc won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in California 20 years ago and amateur Catherine Lacoste won the US Women’s Open in 1967.
