EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Celine Boutier celebrates following her victory in the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 30, 2023. | Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
France’s Celine Boutier is the latest LPGA major champion, as she won the Evian Championship in her home country by six strokes.
France’s own Celine Boutier won in her homeland Sunday by six shots, eviscerating the rest of the field at the Evian Championship to claim her first major.
The 15th-ranked player in the world flexed her muscles to capture the fourth LPGA major of the season.
She now has four LPGA wins in her career.
This season, Boutier has four top-10s and two wins.
“It honestly has been my biggest dream ever since I started watching golf,” Boutier said. “This tournament has always been very special to me, just even watching as a teenager. To be able to hold this trophy is pretty unbelievable.”
In the first three majors this season, Boutier tied for 14th at the Chevron Championship, her best finish until this victory. At the U.S. Women’s Open, she tied for 45th, and at the KPMG PGA, she finished in a tie for 30th.
She entered Sunday with the 54-hole lead after firing off a 4-under 67 on Saturday. The Frenchwoman followed that up with a final round 68 to beat the 2022 champion Brooke Henderson by six strokes.
Boutier started her round with back-to-back birdies. She made another on the par-3 5th.
The 29-year-old then made seven straight pars, fighting the weather to stay even through Evian Resort Golf Club’s tough stretch. She dropped a shot at the par-4 13th but gained it back with a par-breaker on the par-5 15th.
That birdie got her back to 14-under, and it was all she needed. Boutier closed out with three pars to card a 3-under 68 and become a major champion.
She became the first Frenchwoman to win the Evian Championship.
With this win, Boutier could have a spot on the European team for the upcoming Solheim Cup, but that is not on her mind.
“Nothing else matters now that I have this trophy, so I’m really good for the rest of the year,” Boutier said.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and on Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
