After her thrilling six-shot victory at last week’s Amundi Evian Championship in Evian-les-Bains, France, Frenchwoman Celine Boutier is back in contention through two rounds of the FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf. After opening her week at Dundonald Links with a 3-under 69, the 29-year-old carded a 4-under on Friday in Ayrshire, Scotland, making two bogeys and six birdies, three of which came consecutively on holes 3, 4 and 5. Boutier began her day on No. 10, quickly grabbing a birdie on the par-3, 11th hole and then making another on the par-5, 14th hole. She stumbled with a bogey on No. 17 but recovered quickly with a birdie on 18 to make the turn at 5-under overall. Boutier bogeyed again on the par-4, 2nd hole, once again bouncing back by carding three birdies in a row on her next three holes, parring out to card her sixth straight round in the 60s.
It's the fourth time this season that the four-time LPGA Tour winner has opened with back-to-back rounds in the 60s. She did so last week at The Amundi Evian Championship and in March at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain, going on to win both events. Boutier also did so at the Honda LPGA Thailand where she ultimately finished in a tie for fourth. Winning any event on the LPGA Tour can be an exhausting experience, both mentally and physically, so the newly-crowned major champion was pleased with her efforts over the first 36 holes despite feeling some fatigue and hopes that with a little rest and relaxation, she will have a shot at becoming the first player since Jin Young Ko to win in back-to-back events.
“Pretty tired, not going to lie. It was very tough to find some energy on the last nine, but I was able to finish the round, and I'm just going to do my best to rest for the weekend,” said Boutier. “I feel like this morning was definitely a little bit less windy than yesterday. And I feel like I had a lot of birdie chances, more birdies than yesterday. So that was that pretty positive. I feel like my game is in place so I'm just hoping to keep it going for the weekend.”
This is Boutier’s sixth appearance in the FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open, and in her five previous starts, she has four top-25 finishes, including a solo second that came last year at Dundonald Links. She finished T7 in 2021, T18 in 2020 and T24 in 2019. This is her 15th start of the 2023 season, and in addition to her two victories, Boutier has recorded three other top-five results: a T4 at the Honda LPGA Thailand, a fifth-place at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards and a T3 at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational alongside partner Yuka Saso.
With another weekend in contention on deck, the Duke University alum will again look to capitalize on her recent form and will relish the opportunity to tee it up in the challenging conditions that links golf provides, a challenge that Boutier always enjoys tackling.
“I think the windy conditions just force me really to focus and be really committed in each shot,” Boutier said. “And it's sometimes a little bit easier for me when it's windy because my ball strike is a little bit lower than average. It's very demanding, but it's fair. I didn't get (links golf) for a few years. I played in a few of the amateur events when I was a junior, and it definitely took me a while to learn and to really appreciate it. But I feel like the past few years I've been enjoying it more and more. So I think it's growing on me for sure.”
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