2024 Olympics: Celine Boutier flexes on dwelling 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 positive what to anticipate at present, however I used to be capable of make the most of just a few alternatives on the market. So I be ok with my spherical and hopefully maintain going for the following few days.”

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

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

“It’s not one thing I’m used to from what I often 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.

“With the ability to watch among 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 acquired and was capable of assist put together myself for at present and the remainder of the week.”

Picture by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP through Getty Photographs

“It’s difficult, however I attempt to concentrate on my recreation. And it’s such a troublesome course that it’s important to focus in your recreation. You may’t go searching and snigger with the group. So it’s good to have some assist, however it’s important to focus on the market.”

Although she just isn’t used to the group, the Frenchwoman did appear to understand the love — more often than not.

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

She gave the group a lot to cheer about as Boutier’s putter was purple 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 had been from no less than 16 ft 10 inches. Boutier led the sphere in strokes gained placing, at +4.860.

“I feel my placing was very strong at present,” she stated. “I attempted to be somewhat bit extra aggressive with my velocity, and it labored out. I observed lots of my putts had been on line, typically a bit quick, typically 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 assume I hit it that shut, however I used to be capable of be inside vary to make a birdie probability, 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 Enjoying By. For extra golf protection, comply with us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. You may as well comply with her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.