Duke women’s golf alums Leona Maguire and Celine Boutier will represent Europe at the Solheim Cup in September.
Two Duke women’s golf alums will take the stage at the Solheim Cup next month. They’ll just do so for Team Europe.
Leona Maguire of Ireland and Celine Boutier of France, both of whom played their college golf for the Blue Devils, officially made the European team on Tuesday.
The Solheim Cup pits the 12 best American and European women’s golfers against each other for a series of matches over three days, an exhibition that has become one of the most emotionally charged events on the golf calendar.
Neither player comes as a surprise announcement. Boutier has been on each of the last three European teams, and she won her first major in 2023 as part of a breakout four-win season.
Maguire, who won the ANNIKA Award as the nation’s best collegiate golfer twice with Duke, has been on each of the last two Solheim Cup teams.
The European team hasn’t lost the biannual competition since 2017, winning in 2019 and 2021 before retaining the cup with a tie last year (due to scheduling conflicts created during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Solheim Cup switched back to even years beginning this fall).
Celine Boutier has lived in Texas for eight years, but no one in the Olympic field is more familiar with Le Golf National than the 30-year-old Frenchwoman.
âI definitely know it with my eyes closed,â said Boutier, whose family home is 40 minutes away.
A six-time winner on the LPGA, Boutier broke through with her first major championship on home soil at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship, becoming the first Frenchwoman to win the LPGAâs fifth major.
Currently No. 7 in the world, Boutier will be the fan favorite Aug. 7-10 when the womenâs competition heats up in France at the Olympic games.
âYou definitely have to be a really good ball-striker to be able to have a chance there and to be able to control your ball,â she said of 2018 Ryder Cup venue. âI think itâs a great test.â
One of several LPGA players who took part in Fridayâs opening ceremonies on the Seine River, this marks Boutierâs second Olympic Games. Fans can gain more insight into the former Duke star by watching a recently released âPlaying Lessonsâ episode on NBCâs GolfPass. The two-part program, taped last March at Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, is hosted by PGA Tour caddie Jim âBonesâ Mackay. Golfweek was on the scene in Florida as the pair met for the first time to film.
Boutier isnât big on technique. She leaves that to her younger brother Kevin, a Lead Master Instructor at The Jim McLean Golf School in Miami. Not that she likes to talk instruction with him either.
âJust in general, I donât like to talk about swings. I may also be a little bit scared of what he might say, so Iâd rather not inquire about it,â she said with a laugh.
Scenes from Celine Boutierâs appearance on GolfPass show âPlaying Lessonsâ at Omni ChampionsGate on Monday, March 18, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Cy Cyr / GolfPass)
This episode of “Playing Lessons” is less about technique and more about strategy, as Boutier walks Mackay through her routines and how she goes about selecting which type of shot to hit. Mackay, who spent most of his caddying career with Phil Mickelson, carried the bag for Boutier as they played three holes, talking about her career in between shots and what goes on inside the ropes.
This marks the fourth season of âPlaying Lessonsâ and Mackay became a regular host of the series after being called to fill in for a Jon Rahm episode in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they both live. Mackay, who also works as an on-course reporter for Golf Channel/NBC, agreed to give hosting duties a shot.
âI was pretty horrible,â said Mackay of that first stint. âI mean, you saw me do three or four takes of things today. That day, when I tried to introduce the show, I bet you we did close to 20 takes. So my level of comfort was really, really low. But we had so much fun. And you know, itâs like a little family out here. We have this crew of the same folks that do virtually every show, and itâs fun. We put the band back together, and we go here, and we go there. But that Jon Rahm experience was something that took me a little while to get over because I had a lot to learn.â
Kevin Schultz, senior director of golf content, notes the humble Mackay tries to stay in the background. Heâs raking bunkers and repairing divots for the show, as the personable caddie has done for decades on Tour. But hosting a show puts him front and center, and that some getting used to.
âHeâs helped us get players,â said Schultz of the showâs top-tier guests, âbecause they want to do it for Bones.â
While Mackay spends most of his time on the menâs side, he has called the action at womenâs majors as well as the Augusta National Womenâs Amateur. LPGA guests on âPlaying Lessonsâ include major champions Patty Tavatanakit and Sophia Popov as well as the inspirational Haley Moore.
âI just love how in control the women are, you know,â said Mackay. âThereâs no length being sacrificed here. But whether itâs in âPlaying Lessons,â or I remember doing TV at the Womenâs PGA Championship at Aronimink, and Jennifer Kupcho hit 18 greens in regulation one round. I remember thinking to myself, if the men were playing out here today from the same tees, how many guys would be able to hit 18 greens in regulation, and it wasnât going to be many. I just remember just being blown away by that ball-striking feat and how good everybody is.â
During the episode with Boutier, Mackay and senior producer Chris Graham put the French star in a fairway bunker and asked her to show how sheâd advise players of varying handicap levels to proceed. Boutier hit three different shots, saving the more aggressive approach for the elite player til the end, when she hit it to 3 feet.
Scenes from Celine Boutierâs appearance on GolfPass show âPlaying Lessonsâ at Omni ChampionsGate on Monday, March 18, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Cy Cyr / GolfPass)
Boutier hasnât competed since the Evian, taking time to prepare for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of enjoying an Olympic Games so close to home.
While winning a major in front of a French crowd gives her more confidence, Boutier said it does nothing to minimize the pressure she feels.
âI feel like every season you start from scratch,â she said, âevery week you start from scratch. It doesnât really matter what you did before.â
Leona Maguire, Celine Boutier, and Ana Belac each met the world ranking qualifications for the Olympics last week.
The two highest-ranked players from each country (unless one country has more than two within the top 15 of the Rolex Rankings) earned their way in until the field of 60 was filled out.
Boutier will play for the hosting country of France while Maguire and Belac will represent Ireland and Slovenia, respectively.
One of the most successful professional athletes in school history, Boutier already has six LPGA Tour wins at the age of 30. She won four times in 2023, including her first major at the Evian Championship last July.
Maguire put together one of the most decorated collegiate golf careers in NCAA history. She became the first golfer to win the ANNIKA Award as the nation’s best player twice, taking it home in 2015 and 2017, and her 135 weeks atop the Women’s Amateur Golf Rankings held as a record for five years until Stanford’s Rose Zhang torched every mark.
She’s won two LPGA Tour events during her professional career thus far.
Belac earned her way onto the LPGA Tour after a Player of the Year campaign on the Symetra Tour in 2020. She has two career top-10s in LPGA events.
“That doesn’t happen” for LPGA players to get free courtesy vehicles.
GILBERT, Ariz. â The LPGA is no stranger to the state of Arizona. Over the last 75 or so years, the tour has visited the state close to 70 times.
This year, the tour is in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert for the inaugural Ford Championship presented by KCC. Nine of the top 10 players in the Rolex Rankings are here as are all five tournament champs so far in 2024.
The Thunderbirds, the civic organization that runs the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open, joined as a founding partner about a month ago and kicked in some extra funds, raising the total purse to $2.25 million, with the winner getting an oversized check for $337,500.
Just a few weeks before that, Ford came on as title sponsor, and that provided an unusual perk for the LPGA players.
“Shoutout to Ford for supplying every single player with a Ford vehicle this week,” said 2024 tournament director Emily Podzielinski. “We had pretty much every player take us up on that offer, which is great.
“That doesn’t happen, ever on the tour, for the players that every single person gets the opportunity to receive that.”
There were several vehicles for players to choose from.
“Some players wanted to drive trucks. Some of the Texans love driving the trucks,” said Podzielinski.
After two rounds, players said they were enjoying the set up of the golf course, too.
Ayaka Furue of Japan putts on the sixth green during the first round of the 2024 Ford Championship at Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, Arizona. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Azahara Munoz, who played her college golf at nearby Arizona State, opened her week 64-68. Is there anything in particular she likes about Seville Golf and Country Club, a Gary Panks-design that opened in 2002?
“Everything, I guess,” she said. “It’s good. It sets up good. Gives you really good lines off the tee. The greens are firm, which is nice but it’s kind of forgiving, too, so you can be aggressive and make lots of birdies.”
Wide fairways, firm and fast greens and plenty of sunshine have generated low scores. The 36-hole cut came in at 5 under, tying the LPGA mark, which was last achieved in 2019.
There’s already been a 61 (Hannah Green), three 63s (Pajaree Anannarukarn, Sarah Schmelzel and Yuka Saso) and a slew of 64s by Munoz, Carlota Ciganda, Isi Gabsa, My Hyang Lee, Gabi Ruffels, Lydia Ko, Lilia Vu and Frida Kinhult.
Celine Boutier of France won the LPGA’s Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain in nearby Gold Canyon a year ago in what turned out to be a one-year stint.
“I love coming to Arizona. I think the golf courses here are so nice, and especially this time of the year they’re always pristine condition,” she said. “Obviously a little bit sad not to be playing Superstition Mountain again but I think it’s still a great track here. Be a good test to shoot some low scores.”
After shooting 65-69 over the first two days, Boutier confirmed her initial impressions.
“It’s been good. I feel like this course is very scorable, so you get a lot of birdie chances. The par 5s are pretty reachable, so I think it’s a scorable course.”
Nelly Korda, one of the longer hitters on tour, returned to No. 1 in the world after winning last week.
“The par 3s are pretty tough out here, but all the par 5s are pretty gettable,” she said. Korda had an eagle and seven birdies with just two pars on the course’s four par 5s over her first 45 holes.
The LPGA held one-off events at the Legacy (2000), Papago (2009) and at Superstition (2023). Will Seville be a one-and-done as well, or will the tour return in 2025?
“I think we’re going to get through this one and all I know is it’s amazing having Ford on board, Ford Motor Company as the title partner,” Podzielinski said. “We want to be here in the Valley for a really long time and so we’re going to build a community-sustainable event and we’re excited to do that. This one came really really quickly and we’re happy with it. The club’s been great, the community’s been great but a lot of things have to fall into place before we start planning for 2025.”
The Ford Championship purse just got bigger. The Thunderbirds, host of the wildly popular WM Phoenix Open, have partnered with the LPGA for the first time, and their $250,000 contribution brings the total purse to $2.25 million.
It’s not just about the purse, of course. The Thunderbirds also bring a unique expertise in raising money for charity and getting fans in the stands.
The 2024 Ford Championship presented by KCC will be held March 28-31 at Seville Golf and Country Club. Last year, Celine Boutier won the 2023 Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. The LPGA has played in Arizona more than 70 times since its inception in 1950.
âWeâre extremely proud to be a founding partner of the Ford Championship presented by KCC and to be a part of the historic tradition of LPGA events in the Valley of the Sun,â said Pat Williams, Big Chief of The Thunderbirds, in a statement. âWe are equally excited to partner with the LPGA in an effort to continue growing the game of golf and giving back to the community. We look forward to seeing the worldâs best golfers tee it up at Seville Golf and Country Club later this month.â
Lydia Ko is expected to return to the LPGA at Seville. The Kiwi is one point away from entering the LPGA Hall of Fame and has had several close calls so far since winning the season-opening Tournament of Champions.
Friday was a special one for Celine Boutier at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore.
The third-ranked golfer in the world fired an 8-under 64 to take the lead following the second round at the 2024 HSBC Women’s World Championship. Following a first round in which scores were higher than usual, plenty of golfers went low on the second day, but none lower than Boutier, who had the round of the day by two shots. She leads at 7 under.
“Definitely, it feels good,” Boutier said. “I feel like I didn’t really get the best of starts last week, so it feels a lot better to finally have one low round.”
Boutier had a clean card with eight birdies in her second round, and she holds a one-shot lead over Japan’s Ayaka Furue, who shot 5-under 67 on Friday and is at 6 under for the tournament.
Even bigger for Boutier, the 2023 Amundi Evian champion â Friday was her father’s birthday.
“Wished him a happy birthday before my round,” Boutier said. “He was like, yeah, so you’ve got to get me a gift, so that would be a nice gift. I hope he enjoys that one.”
Madelene Sagstrom is solo third at 5 under, while Patty Tavatanakit, who has won the last two weeks, is T-9 at 3 under along with fellow star Brooke Henderson, among others.
At the LPGA Drive On Championship last week, the first full-field event of the season on tour, Golfweek asked several players to name their favorite swing on tour (outside of their own). Not surprisingly, one name kept popping up â Nelly Korda.
The hometown favorite would go on to win her ninth LPGA career title in a playoff against Lydia Ko in Bradenton, Florida. Danish player Nanna Koerstz Madsen even noted that she has used videos of Korda’s swing in the past to help her get into certain positions.
The No. 2 player in the world wasn’t the only name mentioned, of course. Here are the favorites:
Last January, few wouldâve put anyone on this short list in the LPGA Player of the Year conversation.
At the start of the 2023 season, itâs safe to say that few wouldâve put anyone on this short list in the LPGA Player of the Year conversation.
The start of the year seemed primed for another Lydia Ko show, especially after she opened 2023 with a victory on the LET in Saudi Arabia. Nelly Korda won late in 2022 after an injury-plagued year. Would she continue what she started in 2021?
Instead, both Ko and Korda were among the winless on the LPGA this season, while three new heavy hitters emerged.
In the end, the winner was clear. Without further ado, hereâs Golfweekâs Female Player of the Year âŠ
Everything you need to know for the week in Naples.
The inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational is here and it’s sure to be a great week at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
PGA Tour and LPGA stars have teamed up and are ready to do battle over the course of three days. The first round will be a scramble, the second foursomes (alternate shot) and there will be a new format in play on Sunday. The “modified fourball” consists of both players hitting a tee shot, then switching balls for their second shots and playing that ball until they complete the hole. The lowest of the two scores will count for the team.
Here are some of the notable pairings: Tony Finau/Nelly Korda, Rickie Fowler/Lexi Thompson, Sahith Theegala/Rose Zhang and Lydia Ko/Jason Day. The No.1-ranked Lilia Vu will play alongside fan-favorite Joel Dahmen.
This will be the first co-sanctioned event between the Tour and LPGA since 1999.
Golf course
Tiburon Golf Club | Par 72 | Home to LPGA’s CME Group Tour Championship
The 18th hole at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
âYou just have to believe it’s coming, and I did that this year.â
NAPLES, Fla. â Lilia Vu cried on the 18th green last year at the CME Group Tour Championship. The desire to win was so great that when the season came to an end, Vu broke down.
âItâs kind of this concept where when you want something too much, it gets away from you,â she said of her close calls. âYou just have to believe it’s coming, and I did that this year.â
Just before Vu left for CME last season, the windshield wipers blew off her car. Her caddie urged her to buy a new car during the offseason. Vu told herself that sheâd buy her dream car, a Mercedes Benz G550, after she won her first event. Vu jumped the gun, however, and bought it before that first triumph came at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February. Three more victories have since followed, including two majors.
âI was like, âOh, it’s because I knew I was going to win,â â she said with a smile.
Vu enters the final event of the 2023 season with 27-point lead over Celine Boutier in the Rolex Player of the Year race. Boutier, who became the first Frenchwoman to win the Amundi Evian over the summer, will need to win the CME to have a chance of upsetting Vu. A victory is worth 30 points.
Boutier would be the first Frenchwoman to win the award. No American has won the POY since Stacy Lewis in 2014.
Boutier didnât start thinking about her chances for Player of the Year until after she won an epic nine-hole playoff in Malaysia for her fourth title. She knew it would take something special to overtake Vuâs two major victories. While the PGA Tour uses a player vote to determine its POY, Boutier appreciates the LPGAâs points format.
âYou just can’t fight against points,â she said.
Celine Boutier of France plays an approach shot on the tenth hole during the second round of the 2023 Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Last season, Boutier ranked third on the LPGA in top-10 finishes with 12 in 24 starts. While she can’t really point to one aspect of her game thatâs drastically different to last year, she does believe that putting herself in the mix so many times in 2022 gave her the confidence to enjoy a breakout season.
Vu, who returned to No. 1 in the world after her victory last week at The Annika, currently tops the money list with $3,252,303. Sponsor-less to begin the season, logos now adorn her clothing.
With a $2 million first-place check on the line in Naples, talk around the CME always comes back to money.
Money used to be a sore subject for Vu, who struggled her rookie year when she compared herself to others coming out of college who had sponsors. Vu had help financially from her parents, and while she was grateful for it, the self-inflicted pressure to pay them back hung over her head. The 2019 season was mostly miserable for the former Bruin.
âI think I kind of just like stopped letting money control me,â she said. âI don’t really think about it anymore. I just knew like, OK, I just want to start having fun playing golf again and then everything will follow along. That’s what happened.â
The pandemic break was âhugeâ for Vu, who used the time to reset her mind with books. The book that got everything started was âThe Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.â The premise of the book, she said, is to get one percent better every day.
Vu started a practice in 2020 of reading at least 10 pages of a book every day that she still continues. Right now sheâs reading â101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Thinkâ by Brianna Wiest.
Vu looks back on a time when she nearly quit golf as an important building block to her success.
âMy rookie year just destroyed me,â she said. âI put so much pressure on each and every shot, life and death.
âI just remember being miserable. This is like the dream, everything we ever worked for was to be out here, and I was just not in the right mindset for it.
âEverything happens for a reason and that’s why I’m here now.â
