Celine Boutier has three LPGA wins. A victory this week, though, would be her biggest by far.
After 36 holes at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship in Evian-Les-Bains, France, the fourth of five LPGA majors in 2023, Boutier, a native of the host nation, holds a one-shot lead.
Boutier has posted rounds of 66 and 69 to get to 7 under for the championship. She has 10 birdies and just three bogeys over the first two days.
She admitted to feeling the nerves of playing on home soil in a major.
“It’s definitely not easy. I feel like in the past I’ve definitely, you know, not handled it very well. I just feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself because I don’t want to disappoint anybody,” she said.”If I learned anything from the past, I really have to just focus on the job and on the course, on each shot. I feel like that’s really helped me really stay focused and not get ahead or think too much about the plans.”
Boutier is trying to treat this like any other tournament but there’s no avoiding things like doing news conferences twice, in two different languages.
“I feel like it’s a positive thing that the French media is talking about women’s golf and Evian,” she said. “I feel like anything I can do to bring more attention to the tournament and women’s golf, in general, is always a good thing.”
Heres some other things you should know about Friday’s second round.
First, something fun.
On the second hole during Friday’s second round, Emma Talley struck paydirt, acing the par-3 hole.
Hole-in-one alert! ⛳️@talley_emma hit her pitching wedge 153 yards on the 2nd hole at @EvianChamp pic.twitter.com/j42dYETlOG
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 28, 2023
Talley is 4 over for the week after rounds of 73-73. Her ace helped her make the cut right on the number.
Patty Tavatanakit on the tee box on the ninth hole during the second round of the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
It’s not been a season to remember for Patty Tavatanakit. She has just one top-10 finish in 2023 and recently went through a stretch of four straight missed cuts before a tie for 27th at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. That’s actually her second-best finish this year.
Tavatanakit, who has a major on her resume at the 2021 ANA Inspiration, has gone 69-67 so far at Evian Resort Golf Club and is 6 under, tied with Yuka Saso for…
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