EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — France’s Celine Boutier realised a long-held dream for herself and her country, cruising to her first major title at the Evian Championship to become the first Frenchwoman to win the tournament.
The 29-year-old was impeccable from start to finish at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, carding 14-under par overall to finish six shots clear of last year’s champion Brooke Henderson.
“It has been my biggest dream since I started watching golf,” Boutier said. “This tournament has always been very special to me, even just watching as a teenager and just to be able to hold this trophy is pretty unbelievable.”
Boutier is the third woman from France to win a major, following Patricia Meunier-Lebouc at the 2004 Kraft Nabisco Championship and Catherine Lacoste, who was an amateur when she captured the 1967 US Women’s Amateur.
Boutier, who had never finished better than 29th in six previous appearances at the tournament, was six shots clear of second-place Brooke Henderson of Canada, who was 8 under after her final round of 70.
Boutier took a three-shot lead into the final round and eased any worries she may have had with two birdies to start and another on the fifth hole.
“That was pretty unexpected,” Boutier said. “I definitely felt like I handled the first few holes really well. I had a good opportunity on one and the putt on two was definitely a bonus.”
Boutier had a total of four birdies in the final round and a bogey on the par-4 13th.
Five players – Norway’s Celine Borge (68), Mexican Gaby Lopez (68), South Korea’s A Lim Kim (69) and Japan’s Yuka Saso (70) and Nasa Hataoka (72) – were joint third at 7 under.
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