France’s Celine Boutier is the new Ladies’ British Open Amateur Champion beating Sweden's Linnea Strom in the 18-hole final at Portstewart Golf Club.
Celine Boutier, 21-year-old No 3 seed from the Paris suburb of Montrouge, is the new Ladies’ British Open Amateur Champion. She beat 18-year-old Swedish player Linnea Strom from Gothenburg by 4&3 in the windswept 18-hole final at Portstewart Golf Club, Northern Ireland.
Boutier, at one time ranked the World No 1 female amateur, is now rated No. 10 in the R&A standings, with Strom at No 22, so this was a final between two quality players. The French girl is a student golf team-mate of World No 1 Leona Maguire at Duke University, Durham in North Carolina. Strom will enrol along with Olivia Mehaffrey, whom she beat in the morning semi-finals, at Arizona University in August.
And so Celine became the eighth French-born winner since the championship began in 1893 but, she is the first since M Monnet prevailed over Rebecca Hudson in the 1999 final at Royal Birkdale. Boutier, the 2012 European ladies amateur champion and a prolific winner on the United States college circuit, lost in the Girls’ British Open Amateur final a Gullane in 2011.
With her win, Celine automatically qualifies for the RICOH Womens’ British Open, the U.S. Womens’ Open and the Evian Championships.
“I am absolutely delighted,” she said after finishing her match. “I have played really well across a lot of matches this week which is great, but now I am pretty tired!”
SEMI-FINALS
Linnea Strom (Sweden) bt Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down Ladies) 5&4.
Celine Boutier (France) bt Charlotte De Corte (Belgium) 3&2.
FINAL
Boutier bt Strom 4&3
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