This week, Celine Boutier will play in France for the first time since becoming the winningest French player in LPGA Tour history after capturing her third career victory at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain. But with just one stop in her home country each season at The Amundi Evian Championship, Boutier is still getting used to playing on friendly soil in front of a loud and large home crowd.
“Being able to play in front of a French crowd is not something I’m really used to,” Boutier told the media on Wednesday. “I don’t get that opportunity quite a bit. Then just being able to have my family here also with me makes it even more special.”
Boutier also admitted that hasn’t fared well at the LPGA’s youngest major. In her seven seasons on Tour, the 29-year-old has played the event six times but has yet to break into the top 25 and has missed the cut twice – most recently sitting out on the weekend in 2022. So, this year, Boutier is trying a new mental strategy in her quest to finally conquer Evian Resort Golf Club.
“I feel like in the past I haven’t been able to play that well,” Boutier said. “I think the fact that it’s in France also adds a little bit more extra pressure that I put on myself. This week I'm really just trying to take it as a regular week. Obviously, you don’t want to disappoint people and everything, but I feel like the best way for me to perform is to really not think about the fact that it means so much here and just try to take it as a regular tournament.”
When it comes to golf, Boutier will be relying on her experience with the course to guide her game. She says as the years have gone by, she understands the course better and knows what to expect from the challenging layout, allowing her to play smarter.
“It’s not my first year playing here so I know that you’re not going to have even lies on this course,” Boutier explained. “It’s a lot of slopes and that’s what makes it more difficult. I feel like you have to control your ball flight quite a bit, especially on the greens because they’re so slopey. You definitely have to be very smart and be able to adjust with the slopes for sure.”
Boutier will also have some momentum to lean on. Since her win in March, Boutier has played her way to four top-15 finishes, with her second-best finish of the season coming just last week at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational alongside playing partner Yuka Saso. The pair finished T3, just three shots back of champions Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokol, and Boutier hopes that momentum has traveled across the pond with her.
“It was a very solid week last week with my partner Yuka Saso,” Boutier said. “I feel like we both played very solid and it was very enjoyable to be able to play with a partner. Hopefully, that will be the start of a good stretch of weeks. I feel very positive about that past week.”
Armed with experience, momentum and a good shift in mindset, Boutier is hopeful to add a few more lines to her impressive resume: major champion and first French player to win the Amundi Evian Championship, two accomplishments that would surely be dreams come true.
)
)
)
)
