Céline Boutier, a first turn as boss in China!

From the first round, Céline Boutier hit hard in Shenzhen by taking the lead of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF thanks to a superb 66 (-7)! Nastasia Nadaud is also off to a good start. She is in the provisional top 10.

His game started with a bogey on the first hole, then Celine Boutier stumbled again on the 5. But then it was an almost demonstration. The five-time winner on the Ladies European Tour followed up with three birdies in four holes, then she managed three other birdies between the 11th and the 16th before achieving the shot of the day with a chip in the box at hole no. 18 for eagle.

In warm-up, the French n°1 signs the best score of the first day (-7) and takes the lead in the individual ranking.

“It was fun to get that ‘chip-in’ on the last hole,” appreciated Céline.

I knew how to stay patient and the birdies fell

Celine Boutier

“I was worried about the contact though because the lie was bad, so seeing her come in is a bonus. I knew how to remain patient and the birdies fell after a delicate start. Obviously, there are a lot of good players here in China, so there is still a lot of work, but I am happy with this first day. It’s nice to see some familiar faces on this European circuit, especially French women. I enjoy playing on both circuits every year. »

The player of LPGA Tour ahead of the rankings another regular on the American circuit, Angel Yinbut also the Czech Sara Kouskova and the Chinese Xiyu Linplaced behind it has one move (-6). The Swiss Morgane Metraux is in the -5 peloton, while Nastasia Nadaud is in the top 10 thanks to an excellent -4. The native of Chambéry (73) also made a misstep at hole no. 1 before tormenting the par 5 of the course. Mission Hills.

Céline Herbin et Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (used to stunning tournament finishes lately) also played under par. The other French women got off to a more sluggish start.

Le leaderboard

Photo : Michael Reaves Getty / AFP