Celine Boutier pulls a Nelly Korda, goes back to back to capture Women’s Scottish Open
Celine Boutier won her first major championship last week at the Evian Championship. She followed that up by dominating the Scottish Open.
She has done it again.
For the second straight week, Celine Boutier emerged victorious at an LPGA event. She won the Freed Group Women’s Scottish Open by two strokes on Sunday, finishing at 15-under for the championship at Dundonald Links.
The last player to win back-to-back tournaments on the LPGA Tour—with a major championship included—was Nelly Korda in 2021. Korda won the Meijer LPGA Classic the week before winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at the Atlantic Athletic Club.
As for Boutier, she claimed her first major championship last week at the Amundi Evian Championship in France.
“I would have never imagined that I would be able to win not one, but two tournaments in a row,” Boutier said after Sunday’s round. “I’m just in shock. I don’t think I know what to say or what to think. I think it’s just completely out of control. I’m not sure what to think.”
Entering the final round at the Women’s Scottish Open, Boutier held a three-shot lead over Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand.
The Frenchwoman began her round with five straight pars before birdieing the par-3 6th hole. She then birdied the 9th and the 13th, and it looked like she was well on her way to winning the Scottish Open with ease.
But Boutier opened the door for other contenders at the par-5 14th hole. She missed a three-foot putt for par there, showing some nerves on Scotland’s west coast.
Two holes later, at the 16th, Boutier dropped another shot. When she walked to the 17th tee, she held just a one-shot lead over Hyo Joo Kim, the smallest lead she had all day.
Despite the pressure ramping up down the stretch, Boutier remained steady. She needed to finish par-par to secure the victory, and she did one stroke better than that.
Her curling birdie putt at the 17th hole dropped with authority, which gave Boutier a two-shot advantage heading into the final hole.
This birdie gives @celineboutier a two-stroke lead heading to the 72nd hole at the Scottish Open. pic.twitter.com/4uohyGLpwy
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) August 6, 2023
“I got a read and tried to give it a run,” Boutier said about her putt at the 17th. “I really tried to get it to the hole, and it ended up going in, which was a huge bonus and definitely made me feel better about the 18th.”
Boutier then played the par-5 18th conservatively, making an easy par. She was again showered with champagne on the putting surface as her entourage swarmed her to celebrate.
Now the former Duke Blue Devil has her eyes set on the AIG Women’s Open, which will take place next week at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England.
Can Boutier go three-for-three? Perhaps. But she is undoubtedly the favorite heading into the final major of the year on the LPGA Tour.
She might even be the best female player in the world right now too.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.