CHAMPAGNE PERFORMER

NERVES of steel and a razor sharp putter proved a winning formula for Celine Boutier at the Vic Open yesterday as she held out leading Aussie hope Su Oh to claim a maiden LPGA title.

Oh had endured a roller coaster round for most of the afternoon and almost chipped in for eagle on the par-four 15th to move within striking distance of Boutier, but when it rolled out the Frenchwoman just needed to stay composed to earn the win.

She did so like a seasoned pro, scoring a birdie on 15 before registering pars on the final three holes to record a memorable victory.

Boutier, who finished the tournament at eight-under, said keeping her cool and making the most of her chances late in the day were crucial to her win.

“It is amazing. It has been something I have been working towards since I turned pro and I don’t think I realise it right now but I am super excited with the way I handled myself,” Boutier said.

“It is not always easy to get your first win. I feel like I struggled all day with my long game and I didn’t have that many birdie opportunities, but on 15 when I made that putt it motivated me and made me more confident in my ability to win the tournament.

“I struggled on the front nine as I was too focused on what the other players in my group were doing. They weren’t playing that well but then I kind of kept my guard down a bit and tried to focus on my own game and didn’t look at the leaderboard in the back nine, and I think that helped me out quite a bit.”

Boutier and Oh were in the final women’s group with overnight leader Kim Kaufman, who shot a six-over 78 to drop to eighth place in a disappointing end to her tournament.

Oh, who has now finished inside the top six five times, was never really able to recover after starting her day four-over through four holes.

“I felt like I got just short of every shot I hit,” Oh said.

“Obviously the start was pretty bad, but towards the end I was hitting good shots that were just rolling backward. My putts were a little bit hard on the ones that I missed.”

Englishwoman Charlotte Thomas shot a three-under 69 to round out the placings at six-under, finishing tied for second with Oh and Aussie Sarah Kemp.