ARYRSHIRE (Scotland): France’s Celine Boutier laid claim to being the hottest player on the planet right now, winning the Freed Group Women’s Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf on Sunday for her second Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour title in a row.
Fresh off her maiden Major victory at The Amundi Evian Championship on home soil, Boutier carried her fine form to Dundonald Links and triumphed by two shots over Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim. Boutier managed the demanding links layout and strong winds well to sign in rounds of 69, 68, 66 and 70 for a 15-under-par 273 total.
The win made Boutier the first player since Thai Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 to win a women’s Major and the next tournament, as well as the first back-to-back winner since Korea’s Jin Young Ko in 2021 with her victories at the Cognizant Founders Cup and BMW Ladies Championship.
“I don’t think I could have even dreamt that it would happen, but it’s just been amazing to be able to play that well. I feel like to even have the chance to be in contention this week was a complete bonus. To be able to hold the trophy again has been pretty insane,” said Boutier, who now has five LPGA Tour titles to her name.
Having finished second in this event at the same venue last year, Boutier noted that the Dundonald layout suits her eye.
“I feel like I see the course very well and I just feel pretty comfortable. I think it’s very demanding with the weather conditions at times, but it’s kind of fun to be able to play different holes. I know they play a lot with the tee boxes and different wind directions and stuff like that. It’s fun to be able to see a different course every day,” noted the 29-year-old.
With her consecutive wins, Boutier heads into this week’s AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, as one of the hot favourites. While acknowledging that her game is in good shape, Boutier stressed that it will be a total reset for the final Major of the 2023 LPGA Tour season.
“I’m not sure what to expect because I’ve never played there, and I don’t think it’s typical links. So I’m just excited to see what it looks like and get a feel for it. I’m going to try to start from scratch and get some solid rounds in,” she said.
The LPGA Tour returns to Malaysia this Oct 26-29 with the USD3 million Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club’s West Course.
Results (Top 5 and ties)
273 (-15) Celine Boutier (FRA) 69-68-66-70
275 (-13) Hyo Joo Kim (KOR) 71-70-69-65
276 (-12) Ruoning Yin (CHN) 74-69-67-66
277 (-11) A Lim Kim (KOR) 73-69-69-66
Maja Stark (SWE) 69-65-72-71
