SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Playing at home is never easy, but boy, did Celine Boutier make it look that way on Wednesday at the Olympic women’s golf competition.
After hitting her first tee shot in front of a raucous French crowd at 11:55 a.m., the 30-year-old Frenchwoman fired a 7-under 65 in round one at Le Golf National, making one bogey and eight birdies, three of which came consecutively on holes 14, 15 and 16. It was a spectacular start to her home bid for an Olympic medal, one that she couldn’t have scripted any better, even if she had tried.
“I'm really over the moon with the way the tournament started for me,” Boutier said. “I definitely wasn't sure what to expect today, but I was able to take advantage of a few opportunities out there. I feel good about my round, and hopefully, (I can) keep going for the next few days.”
Boutier is a player who is typically a bit more reserved, not exactly the type of person to dive in front of a camera or live and die by the warmth of the spotlight. So all of the fanfare on the first hole could’ve been unsettling for the Frenchwoman as she tried to find the fairway on the tricky par 4, an order that proved to be taller than some of the 60-player field expected on day one just outside of Paris.
And while Boutier admits the singing and flag-waving and cheering was a “bit much” for her taste at times on Wednesday, she ultimately appreciated the crowd’s unwavering support at the end of the round.
“It's not something I'm really used to from what I usually experience on the LPGA,” Boutier said. “It's nice to have that much support. It's definitely challenging, but I try to focus on my game. And it's such a tough course that you have to focus on your game. You can't just look around and laugh with the crowd. It's nice to have some support, but you have to focus out there.”
This is Boutier’s second time representing France in the Olympics, and she’s trying to improve upon her T34 showing that came during her debut in the women’s golf competition in Tokyo. This time around has proven to be a much different Olympic experience for every player in this week’s field as there are no COVID-19 restrictions to contend with, but it’s even more so for Boutier and her fellow Frenchwoman Perrine Delacour.
The pair participated in the Opening Ceremony alongside their countrymen Matthieu Pavon and Victor Perez, an experience that involved a rainy boat trip down the Seine River to the Trocadéro. Boutier and Delacour attended the final round of the men’s golf competition, there to support their male counterparts as they wrapped up their tournament last Sunday.
But maybe most significantly, the fans have turned out in hoards to root the French duo on, hungry to see their beloved daughters find the podium at Le Golf National.
“It's nice to have that many people excited about golf and about where my round is going,” Boutier said of the day-one crowd. “It's definitely nice to get some energy from the crowd after I make a putt. Sometimes I try to take from that, and they also sometimes take from me. I hope it's an exchange. It’s fun when you're getting the momentum going.”
Boutier certainly generated some momentum in the first round, and if she wants to stave off charges from the other 59 athletes in the field over the next 54 holes, that will have to continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at this challenging venue.
Luckily, Boutier’s confidence has been bolstered early by a stellar round-one putting performance, and she will look to card more scores deep in the red as she works to put on another spectacular show for the fervent French fans on day two at Le Golf National.
“Every time I play at home, I never want to disappoint people,” said Boutier. “To have that many people show up, obviously, they want to cheer for some things. It's always nice to be able to give them that, and I never really want to play bad. Nobody wants to play bad on home grounds. It's always nice to get a good start, but I also know that it's still a long way to go, and I have to focus on the next round.”
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