The first French woman to win a Major since 2003, golfer Céline Boutier, with a career that is off the beaten track, is aiming for gold at the Paris Olympics.
Originally from Montrouge, Céline Boutier was born on November 10, 1993, the same day as her sister Christie. She also has a brother named Kévin. Her father Christophe was born in Thailand before being adopted by the French. This family comes from a working-class background: the father is a mechanic and the mother, Jacqueline, is a housewife. She was introduced to golf at the age of six by her father, who started playing on the job and late. At the Paris Country Club, she was not the most gifted, but showed astonishing self-sacrifice. She hit the ball for hours, no matter the weather. Without much means, she was financially supported by the French Golf Federation following good results. In 2012, “Boubout” decided to go and conquer the United States. She won a scholarship to Duke University in North Carolina. She studied psychology and economics in particular. She dreams above all of shining on the LGPA (Ladies Golf Professional Association), the biggest stage in world golf. Before that, she crisscrosses the country of Uncle Sam and the Epson Tour circuit, the second American division. Her constant work pays off despite homesickness and missing her family. She becomes number one among amateurs two
years after setting up shop across the Atlantic. In 2016, she turned professional and opened the doors to the Symetra Tour. Her two victories in 2017 allowed her to finally achieve her goal the following year: she played in the LGPA. Since then, her career has been crowned with trophies, and a participation in the Tokyo 2020 Games. Céline Boutier, then 59th in the world, finished 34th in the women’s stroke play. In Paris, in her backyard, she aims to win.
What is Céline Boutier’s track record?
As of March 2024, she has a total of fourteen professional victories. On July 30, 2023, she became the first Frenchwoman since Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (2003) to win a Major. The performance was notable because it took place in France, near Evian. She also won three editions of the Solheim Cup with Team Europe. She ended 2023 ranked 3rd in the world, a performance that had never been achieved in French golf.
What is Céline Boutier’s salary?
The golfer earns income from several activities. She is notably an ambassador for several brands such as Lacoste and Evian. Since 2017, the interested party, thanks to her performances on the green, has earned $6.9 million.
How did Céline Boutier become a champion, despite having a physique that was outside the norm?
At 1.65 m tall, the golfer was not predestined to become a professional. In this sport, power, which determines the distance of the drive, has become a key factor. Thanks to monumental athletic work, she has managed to compensate for this size to now have a good distance when hitting. She went from 237 meters in 2018 to 252 meters today. She owes this to the speed of her swing, which has been worked on for hours and hours, giving her a nickname: the “Machine”. Legend has it that she hit 800 balls daily, as a child, at the Paris Country Club.