KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Duke women’s golf alumna Celine Boutier won for the fourth time on the 2023 LPGA season on Sunday as she claimed the MayBank Championship at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Entering the final round in a tie for eighth, Boutier turned in her second round of 8-under, 64, to move up the leaderboard. She finished the event with a one-shot lead, but Atthaya Thitkul birdied her final hole to send the two into a playoff.
The two golfers parred the first playoff hole and then during the second the horns blew to pause play due to lightning in the area. After an hour and a half delay, the playoff continued. Boutier, a 2016 Duke graduate, lipped out for par to win the title and the playoff moved to the third hole.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to be that long, to be honest,” said Boutier. “I was just trying to do my best each hole and each time I had an opportunity to have a playoff, and I feel like we were both very close to winning a few times, and I just feel like we just had to make a birdie essentially. I knew she wasn’t going to make a mistake, so I had to go for it and give myself the best chances for birdies. I feel like she’s an amazing player, and so I feel like it was definitely nerve-racking, but I just feel very happy to have held on for that long.”
On the seventh playoff hole, both golfers hit their approach on the par-3 15th hole within 10 feet. Thitkul missed her putt and Boutier drained hers to secure her sixth career LPGA Tour victory. With her win, Boutier took the lead in the Rolex Player of the Year standings.
“I definitely wanted to win that award at some point in my career. I really did not expect it to be this season,” Boutier said. “I just feel like it’s so hard to just be able to win already and just to be able to have the chance to have this award at the end of the season is something that I definitely don’t take for granted. I feel like it’s an unbelievable amount of talent on Tour, and I’m so happy to be able to lead for that award this year.”
For the week, Boutier carded rounds of 70, 64, 69 and 64 for a 21-under, 267. She earned a check of $450,000 and has now earned $2,730,340 in 2023 and $6,481,238 over her LPGA Tour career.
Boutier became the first LPGA Tour player to win at least four times…
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