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Celine Boutier's win at the 2023 Maybank Championship was not an easy one, as she faced off in an incredible 9-hole playoff against Atthaya Thitikul. Ultimately, she drained a 6-foot birdie in order to pick up her fourth title of the season.
There was a 90-minute delay due to weather conditions for the playoff, after which Boutier and Thitikul went back and forth in an exciting battle on course. It was not easy for either golfer, as both of them were exhausted after the game.
Celine Boutier was ecstatic to win the Maybank Championship and also expressed the relief she felt after the playoff was over. Speaking via LPGA she said:
"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be that long, to be honest. I was just trying to do my best each hole and each time I had an opportunity to have a playoff, and I feel like we were both very close to winning a few times, and I just feel like we just had to make a birdie essentially. I am looking forward to a shower and a meal right now."
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Boutier made her way up the leaderboard with a late surge on Sunday. She carded a bogey-free 64 to finish the tournament at 21 under. She made eight birdies during the last round and it was on the last hole that Thitikul forced a playoff, after sinking in a birdie that Boutier did not manage to make.
Celine Boutier faces tough competition from Atthaya Thitikul in an impressive playoff at the Maybank Championship
The playoff was a constant back and forth between the two players, with each of them making up for any shots where they might have fallen short. Thitikul was playing some of her best golf, and Celine Boutier certainly felt the pressure.
“I knew she wasn't going to make a mistake, so I had to go for it and give myself the best chances for birdies," Boutier said. "I feel like she's an amazing player, and so I feel like it was definitely nerve-racking, but I just feel very happy to have held on for that long.”
It was on the ninth hole that Thitikul missed her chance to birdie a shot. Boutier then picked up the opportunity and sank a birdie to lift the trophy after a spectacular day at the Maybank Championship.
