Celine Boutier stormed to a six-stroke victory with a closing round of three-under-par 68 on Sunday to win the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France.
The Solheim Cup star made history as she became the first player from France to secure the Amundi Evian Championship since the event was designated a major.
It was a dream start for Boutier, who rolled in back-to-back birdies on her opening two holes before she added another birdie on the fifth to make the turn in three-under 32 and extend her advantage at the top of the leaderboard.
Despite a dropped shot on 13, the Frenchwoman bounced back with a birdie on 15 and was able to walk up 18 and make her par to seal victory with a total of 14-under-par.
“It was definitely not easy,” said Boutier. “But the conditions were so tough I felt like it could go either way really fast, so I just tried to stay focused on each shot and hole at a time. It was pretty challenging with the wind.
“The start was pretty unexpected. 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.
“In golf you can always play better. I definitely feel like I was very steady with all four rounds, which is very positive. Especially with the tougher conditions, I’m very satisfied with my level and with my game this week.”
This is the second win on home soil for Boutier in two years after she won the 2021 Lacoste Ladies Open de France, while she also becomes the third Frenchwoman to win a major championship after Catherine LaCoste in 1967 and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc in 2003.
She explained: “It honestly has been my biggest dream ever since I started watching golf. This tournament has always been very special to me, even watching as a teenager. To be able to hold this trophy is pretty unbelievable.
“To have my family here made it even better. I feel like they definitely helped me this week to stay grounded and keep my mind off of golf off the golf course. It’s really sweet to be able to share it with them and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai rounded out a solid week with a one-under-par 70 taking her to two-under for the week and a share of 20th, while first round leader Paula Reto battled to maintain the intensity and slid to a closing nine-over-par 80 to finish on seven-over-par in 68th place.
