The Champagne was flowing at the Amundi Evian Championship as home favourite Celine Boutier won her first Major, a feat she described as a “dream come true” after an impressive final round 68 to finish on 14-under, six strokes clear of runner-up Brooke Henderson.
Boutier, who teed off three strokes in front of Japan's Nasa Hataoka, can now look forward to the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath on August 10th and a third appearance in the Solheim Cup in September.
But first, Boutier will want to relish her special win in front of her home fans after being crowned the first French champion. Boutier, who was drenched in fizz on the final green after holing out, reflected: “It has been my biggest dream ever since I started golf.
"This tournament has always been very special to me, even watching as a teenager. Just to be able to hold this trophy is pretty unbelievable. I had my family here and that made it even better. I feel they definitely helped me to stay grounded and keep my mind off the golf course.
“It is really sweet to be able to share it with them and I definitely wouldn’t be here without them. Nothing else matters now I have this trophy - I am good for the rest of the year.”
It was her second win this year after victory at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain with a play-off win over Georgia Hall. The triumph justified a lot of expectations around Boutier in France. Having turned pro in 2016, the former amateur World Number One has had an impressive array of results with thirty top-10s and three victories since her arrival on the LPGA Tour.
She meant business from the start on Sunday in a stunning final round which saw her birdie three of the first five holes.
Boutier showed her intent with a birdie at the very first hole before draining a big putt at the second for another birdie. A further birdie followed at the par three fifth before another at the 15th after dropping a shot on the 13th.
She added: “It definitely was not easy , the conditions were so tough with the wind and I felt it could go either way really fast. But I felt like I handled the first few holes really well. I had a good opportunity on one and the putt on two was a bonus. I felt like I was steady all four rounds and it is very satisfying with my level and game."
High-profile American duo Rose Zhang and Nelly Korda finished tied ninth on five-under on the final leaderboard. That was a place behind Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh, who was the leading UK player on six-under after a final round 69.
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