MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP

October 24, 2023

Celine Boutier

Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome Celine Boutier of France, playing in your first Maybank Championship.

Have you played in Malaysia before or is this your first time?

CELINE BOUTIER: No, first time.

Q. I know you had your practice round cut short, but how have you found the course so far this week?

CELINE BOUTIER: The course has been really good. I feel like I wanted to get more holes in than I did. I only played five holes so far.

From what I've seen I feel like it's much of a placement course. I feel like it's definitely a lot of bunkers and you have to hit it in the right areas. You can't just bomb it everywhere.

Looks like it's a good course for me, but we'll see how it goes. I think it's going to be a fun week.

Q. Your first time in Malaysia. What made you want to come and play in this event? Had you heard anything about the previous events we have had at this course?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I did hear that the course was going to be good because it was here few years ago. I think on the other course. But I heard the course was good.

I think just being in Asia already because I was playing in Korea as well made it kind of easy.

I feel like it's a new tournament so you don't really know what to expect. They seem to be doing a really good job so far, so very excited to be here.

Q. You won the Evian Championship and the week after that you won Scottish Open. How was that? How do you feel and how did it change your life?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I feel like definitely winning the Evian was really achieving one of the biggest goals I had set for my career really. I just really felt overwhelmed by the support and the emotions and just being able to have done it.

And I feel like just being in contention also the week after was also kind of wild.

But I think it was, yeah, just a lot to process in those two weeks. I feel like it was tiring emotionally and physically as well, but very rewarding.

Yeah, it's just been really amazing to also have been able to share those two wins with my family that came out and travel with me as well.

So it's definitely changed my whole season. I feel like I was having a pretty decent season having won in March earlier, I feel like it was a good season, but I just feel like after those two weeks definitely made it the best season ever.

So it's definitely changed the trajectory of my season and definitely been very rewarding.

Q. What are your hopes for this week?

CELINE BOUTIER: Hopefully I get to put together four solid rounds. Feel like I just want to hopefully be in contention, and have a chance to play for the win on Sunday would be the goal.

Q. So I was going to ask you about the weather. The foreign players always ask about the weather. It's very hot here; now it's not hot. So how do you think that would impact the way you play, not only yourself, but talk about yourself for the rest of the week?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I feel like it's definitely a lot about saving your energy where you can. You are definitely not going to spend all day out there grinding because you have to be smart about where you're spending your energy and just being able to save it for the tournament.

So I think that's going to be key. I think just with not only the heat, but the thunderstorms as well, I think this can defensively be a little bit tricky just to be able to get the rounds in.

I'm just honestly trying to just think about getting each day done at a time. I think it's a little bit out of your control to try to think about anything further than really the day of.

Q. So you played practice round today, did you?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yes.

Q. Okay. And then you were saying new course. You kind of liked what you saw. Any particular hole or holes that you liked? Were there maybe one or two that you thought maybe these holes can give trouble this week?

CELINE BOUTIER: I mean, I've really only played five holes so it's not really representative of the whole course. What I've seen I feel like there is not really a hole that's -- I feel like they're all pretty tricky. Not tricky, but narrow and about placement.

I feel like in general on this golf course from what I've seen, you just have to be pretty accurate with your shots and be smart about placement.

Q. What did you think about the length of the course? I mentioned this to one of the other players, that some of the fairways -- but you only played five holes so it's quite difficult to ask you that question. I was going to ask because the fairways, some of them are quite nice and wide so you can go at them.

CELINE BOUTIER: I don't think I've seen those. I've only seen narrow so far.

Q. You've had a pretty good year so far with so many wins and back to back as well. What's the one thing that you kept in mind throughout the season that probably led to so many successful wins?

CELINE BOUTIER: I think I just really try to stay patient. I feel like last year was very consistent all season long. I had a lot of chances to play for the win on the weekend and had a lot of Top 10s but wasn't able to get the wins, so it was very frustrating.

I feel like this year I've had maybe less top tens in general but I feel like I was able to grab the opportunities that I had and was able to get the win. So I feel like it was very rewarding in the sense that I kind of knew I was on the right track. I feel like all the work from the past few years have definitely been paying off.

So it's also very encouraging for the future.

Q. You have family in Thailand I understand; am I correct?

CELINE BOUTIER: My parents are from Thailand, yes.

Q. So that's nice. That's very good. Particularly when you won your first major, what sort of the vibration did you get back from Thailand? Thailand is quite close to us. What did it do within the Thai community? You have some of your family down here for the week?

CELINE BOUTIER: None of my family is here. To be honest, I haven't paid attention or noticed anything in Thailand. Yeah, I was just mostly overwhelmed with the support in France.

THE MODERATOR: I will just close off with one final question. You're sort of at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to a lot of season-ending awards. I don't know if you know that, but you are.

Is that something you're keeping in mind as you're closing out the season with this event? And I think you're not playing Pelican, or are you?

CELINE BOUTIER: I am.

THE MODERATOR: So as you close with this event and Pelican, are you thinking about that at all?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I think for sure it was not necessarily something I had in mind at the beginning of the season. I just happened to have had a solid few weeks this season to put myself in this position, so I definitely want to finish the season strong.

I feel like definitely especially the year-long awards, that's something really meaningful. I feel like it's so hard to be playing that level of golf for the whole season, and just to be able to be in this position is definitely very nice. I hope that, yeah, I get one or two more solid weeks and be able to finish off what already has been an unbelievable season.