2024 Olympics: Celine Boutier flexes on house soil, takes early lead

Celine Boutier went nuclear on Wednesday throughout the first spherical of the girls’s golf competitors on the 2024 Olympics.

She signed for a 7-under 65 that included eight birdies and one bogey. Just like the true competitor Boutier is, she felt the spherical might have been even higher however was nonetheless happy with the outcomes.

“I’m actually over the moon with how the event began for me,” Boutier stated. “I wasn’t certain what to anticipate right now, however I used to be capable of make the most of a number of alternatives on the market. So I be ok with my spherical and hopefully maintain going for the subsequent few days.”

The Olympics are in her house nation of France, so the crowds have been huge for her, which meant that assist was plentiful.

She embraced it however known as it a problem, as typical LGPA crowds will not be fairly like the Olympics.

“It’s not one thing I’m used to from what I normally expertise on the LPGA. So it’s good to have that a lot assist,” she defined.

Boutier performed good forward of the event, as she skilled firsthand the environment on the males’s competitors final weekend.

“Having the ability to watch a few of the males’s spherical and their tee pictures and stuff first helped me out,” Boutier stated. “I used to be capable of see the assist and the group they obtained and was capable of assist put together myself for right now and the remainder of the week.”

Picture by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP through Getty Photos

“It’s difficult, however I attempt to deal with my recreation. And it’s such a tricky course that you must focus in your recreation. You’ll be able to’t go searching and snort with the group. So it’s good to have some assist, however you must focus on the market.”

Regardless that she shouldn’t be used to the group, the Frenchwoman did appear to understand the love — more often than not.

“Yeah, it was good. It’s a bit bit a lot for me generally,” she famous. “It’s simply good to have that many individuals enthusiastic about golf.”

She gave the group loads to cheer about as Boutier’s putter was crimson sizzling. The 30-year-old made a number of lengthy birdie putts all through her spherical, making 123 ft of putts.

Of her eight birdies, six have been from at the very least 16 ft 10 inches. Boutier led the sphere in strokes gained placing, at +4.860.

“I believe my placing was very strong right now,” she stated. “I attempted to be a bit bit extra aggressive with my velocity, and it labored out. I observed lots of my putts have been on line, generally a bit brief, generally a bit too quick. When the velocity was there, it was getting in.”

“So it was a really good feeling, and it helped me out as a result of I don’t suppose I hit it that shut, however I used to be capable of be inside vary to make a birdie likelihood, a birdie run. So I really feel like I took benefit of that.”

Boutier leads by three pictures over South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai who shot a 4-under 68. There are additionally 4 gamers tied for third at 2-under.

For the primary two rounds, she performs with World No. 2 Lilia Vu and Korea’s Amy Yang. They tee off at 3:55 a.m. ET on Thursday for Spherical 2.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. For extra golf protection, observe us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. You can too observe her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.