Celine Boutier records second straight win with success at Women’s Scottish Open
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France's Celine Boutier during her third round at the Women's Scottish Open.
PHOTO: WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN
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TROON, Ayrshire – Celine Boutier of France survived two late bogeys and a charge by South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo to win the Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links on Sunday.
It was her second consecutive title after recording her Major breakthrough at the Evian Championship on home soil on July 30. The last player to win her next tournament after a Major success was Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand in 2018.
The 28-year-old Kim finished runner-up, carding the joint-best round on Sunday with a 65, which she shared with compatriot Joo Soo-bin and Frenchwoman Celine Herbin.
Kim finished on 13-under 275, two strokes off Boutier. China’s Yin Ruoning was one stroke further back in third, while South Korea’s Kim A-lim was fourth on 277. Both shot 66.
The 29-year-old Boutier, who grabbed the lead after the third round, did not relinquish that advantage on Sunday, firing a 70 for a total of 273 to record her fifth career victory.
She just missed out on recording 60s in her last eight rounds at this tournament.
Boutier started the day strongly, staying bogey-free for her first 13 holes, before her first blemish on the par-five 14th, where she failed to convert a two-foot putt for par.
She posted three birdies before that at Nos. 6, 9 and 13.
That was the start of her wobble as she followed up the bogey on the 14th hole with another on No. 16, a far cry from when she coasted to victory at Evian.
However, the world No. 4 then steadied herself with a birdie on the par-four 17th.
She ended Sunday with an overall record of four birdies against two bogeys, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 16 greens in regulation.
Boutier also erased the disappointing memories from the 2022 tournament.
She had also led after 54 holes but had to settle for second spot behind Ayaka Furue, after the Japanese fired a final-round 62 to win. Boutier hit a 69.
The Frenchwoman will now be among the favourites for 2023’s final Major, the Women’s British Open, which begins on Thursday at Walton Heath Old Course in Surrey, England.
Her best result at the tournament was sixth in 2019, when she finished six shots off the Japanese winner Hinako Shibuno at Woburn Golf Club in Milton Keynes.
She finished joint-seventh in 2022, when the tournament was held at Muirfield in Scotland.
