France’s Celine Boutier finished with an impressive score of 19-under-par, securing her first title of the year at her maiden Aramco Team Series presented by PIF tournament at Mission Hills China.
Starting the day tied for the lead with China’s Xiyu Lin, the two players exchanged the top spot throughout the round. Ultimately, it was Boutier who emerged victorious, carding a bogey-free round for the second consecutive day.
“It was a great round. I definitely feel like we started really hot with Janet [Xiyu Lin], so it was fun to be able to battle it out. I’m very happy with my round; I wish a few putts had dropped. I was honestly super happy with how I handled today.
“It was close the whole day. One or two shots can swing pretty fast after one hole or two, so you definitely have to be on your toes until the end. I’m super happy with the way I played the last few holes.
“I feel pretty good. I like China, so hopefully I can win some more tournaments here.”
In her first home event since winning bronze in Paris, Xiyu Lin drew large crowds of fans eager to support their hometown hero. Lin fought hard for the lead throughout the day, finishing just two strokes behind Boutier at 17-under-par.
“Celine played unbelievably; a seven-under round and bogey-free is hard to beat, especially when my putter is not on. When I got to 18, I was two shots behind, so I knew I had a very slim chance.
“I had to give it 100%. I hit a good drive and probably one of the best 3-woods I made all week. It’s nice; I came up just short, but hearing the crowds cheering for me was pretty unbelievable.”
The competition for third place heated up as Chiara Tamburlini, went head-to-head with three-time winner Pauline Roussin-Bouchard. Roussin-Bouchard made a late push by sinking an eagle on the 16th hole, ending in T3 with Tamburlini, as both players recorded the lowest rounds of the event at 65.
Team Tamburlini secure the trophy (from left to right Lee-Anne Pace, Chiara Tamburlini, Qianhui Lin, Yanxuan Peng)
Whilst the individual competition was heating up, the final day of the team competition came to a stunning conclusion – the lead changing hands often throughout the day.
Ultimately, it was Team Tamburlini that emerged victorious, with the in-form LET rookie Chiara Tamburlini stepping up, fresh from her second win of the year last week, at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.
The Swiss rookie was just three strokes short of making history as the first player to win both the team and individual titles in the same event.
Noah Alireza, CEO of Golf Saudi, said: “What an incredible show of golf we experienced this weekend at the Aramco Team Series’ first visit to Shenzhen. On behalf of the Golf Saudi team, we extend a heartfelt congratulations to our exceptional winners, who continue to raise the standard of excellence in golf, inspiring players and fans worldwide.”
Introduced by Golf Saudi back in 2021, the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF comprises five $1million events played over the course of the Ladies European Tour season. With four players crowned champions at each tournament – three from the team element, plus an individual winner – the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF has already welcomed more than 50 players into its winners’ circle, together sharing more than $20million in prize money.
The Series will take to the desert sand of Saudi Arabia’s capital from October 31 – November 2 as 28 teams have one more chance to put themselves on the map for the 2024 season of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF.
Main Image: LET
