THE AMUNDI EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 21, 2021

Celine Boutier

Evian Resort Golf Club

Press Conference

CELINE BOUTIER: I played nine holes on Monday, which was my first time seeing the course, and you could just see a couple spots here and there on the fairway that were a bit soft. But I would have never guessed that it was raining that hard, and I think obviously the teams here have been doing a tremendous job with the course, and I think it can only be better from here because the weather is supposed to be pretty great all week.

THE MODERATOR: I know you took last week off from the LPGA Tour. I saw you got to spend some time at home with your family in France.

CELINE BOUTIER: Yes, I did take last week off because I hadn't been home in a long time, and I just felt like that was the perfect timing to go back, so I went home on Wednesday last week and going back again next week all week, so that will be a nice little break.

THE MODERATOR: What do you do during that time off to really help you enjoy that time off and also enjoy the rest during this incredibly long stretch of golf?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, it's a little bit tricky because obviously when you're back you want to do a lot of stuff. You want to see a lot of people. I just didn't have that much time before the tournament because I only had like three, four days. I left on Sunday for Evian, so I only had Thursday and Friday.

I just tried to just enjoy spending time with my family. I hadn't seen them in a while. Obviously with the COVID, they couldn't come to America, so it was nice to spend time with them and then try to play a little bit just to get ready for the tournament at the same time.

But yeah, always good to be back.

THE MODERATOR: Now we're back here at Evian; this is such a special event. What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to play in front of -- play in your home country to compete here at this great major championship and to enjoy everything we get here this week?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, playing mainly in America makes me miss home a little bit more, actually, and I just feel like I usually come back for Evian and the French Open which are the only two weeks that I get to compete in front of the French public. But I feel like Evian is a special one for me because it's a tournament I've really watched growing up since I was maybe 11, since I almost started golf, and it's always a tournament that was really special to me because it was -- it's a major that we have at home, which is something that not many people can experience.

Just the fact that the organization is always so great in pink and glamorous and all that kind of makes you dream, especially when you're a young girl playing golf. You're just always watching the tournament, and so I was always dying to just come watch when I was younger growing up. I was like, I wish -- I always had a tournament at the same time so I could never come, but I was always watching on TV.

Even the posters, the tournament posters are always so pretty and very dreamy. I was always growing up watching this tournament, so obviously my first time playing it was surreal.

Every year since then -- I don't know, just something about the site and the views, every time you play it, you're just -- even though you've played it 10 times before, it just always takes your breath away with the lake and the views and stuff like that. It's a special one for me.

THE MODERATOR: What are some of the special moments you remember from your childhood of watching this championship?

CELINE BOUTIER: I think the first real memory of the tournament -- I have a couple, I think. I just remember the one Paula Creamer won was pretty cool because she was kind of my idol growing up, and also the one where Michelle Wie was still amateur. I think she was playing and she finished third in the tournament, which was pretty unbelievable for an amateur, and she was so young, too. I think that was the highlights that I remember anyway from watching the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: You have the opportunity to play here in front of your home fans in France and then to go to Tokyo and represent France on the international stage. How excited are you for the opportunity to go compete in the Olympics?

CELINE BOUTIER: Oh, yeah, it's unbelievable. The first time that they announced that golf was going to be in the Olympics I was always amazed and already looking forward to it. I was like, I made it my goal already. I was like, I hope -- I turned pro end of 2016 so it was right when the first edition of the Olympics for golf happened, and I was like, you know what, next one I'm going to make the team.

Super excited to have made it and to be able to represent France. It's something we don't really get to do anymore as professionals. You get Solheim Cup and you don't represent your country, you represent Europe, I guess, for us, so it will definitely be different, but anytime I get to represent my country is special and the Olympics is even bigger.

Q. Do you have any memories of Evian before competing here, of the area itself?

CELINE BOUTIER: I think the only memories that I have is just from watching the tournament, but it was the old design before they renovated it, so I just remember 18 and then I just remember I think it was 17, it was like a par-3 that was like downhill. I just remember watching these two holes pretty much -- and obviously like the view of the lake and stuff like that that they would show, but I don't remember specifically any other holes.

Q. So far this year in majors, you've played the weekend all three times, including a top 10 at the Women's PGA. What have you learned from major championships over the years to maybe get you more comfortable with the performances that you've showed this year?

CELINE BOUTIER: I think for me, I just need to know that I'm prepared, and I feel like when I feel like I'm prepared myself, also with my caddie and with the strategy and things like that, I just feel more confident. I feel like what I've learned from my past experiences is that you just can't really think too far ahead of yourself, like even if you post a good round, it doesn't mean you're going to lift the trophy. Like just take it one day at a time because majors are usually tougher courses, as well. You just really can't predict anything with the scores, so just keep it one shot at a time.

THE MODERATOR: You get the opportunity to remember France at the Olympics, but we're also in a Solheim Cup year, a lot of points on the line here, a lot of points on the line over the next few weeks. How much are you thinking about the opportunity to represent Team Europe at Inverness in September.

CELINE BOUTIER: Being a part of the European team for the Solheim Cup is definitely a goal of mine and has been since the last edition in 2019, so it is something I think about for sure.

I also know that the way for me to perform my best is not to think about it, so it's definitely been a challenge between juggling between being able to think about it and let it drive me but at the same time not worrying about it too much and just staying in the present and focusing on each tournament at a time.

THE MODERATOR: This time of year so much was unknown; what does it feel like now -- you talked about it a little, but to be back here. We certainly still need to be safe, certainly still need to take care, but to know that we're finally maybe coming back to some semblance of regularity as we continue to work our way through this but most importantly to be back here at Evian, how does that feel.

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, it feels great. I feel like last year, even looking at this year, it was a lot of uncertainty. But things have been looking better for a little while now, a couple months. I just think -- I hope it's going to keep going that way for the rest of the season, and just seeing things opening up a little bit more is definitely a good thing to see.