MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP

October 29, 2023

Celine Boutier

Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody, to the media center, and welcome to our 2023 Maybank Championship champion, Celine Boutier. You played nine extra holes today; how are you feeling about that?

CELINE BOUTIER: I mean, right now I feel great. I feel like it was definitely a grind this whole week but especially today, and just being in a playoff is not always easy to handle, but just very happy with the outcome, obviously, and very happy with the way I handled the whole week.

Q. You shot another round of 64, I believe, today, your second of the week. How have you managed Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club so well to end up with a victory here?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I think this course is a lot about placement and being accurate with your approach shots and your tee shots especially. I feel like the rough is definitely very deadly, so I feel like you've just got to put a premium on being on the fairway, and then from there I was able to hit a lot of shots close, and my putting was getting better throughout the week.

I definitely was able to take advantage of that today.

Q. A little bit of a weather delay before that playoff. What did you do to stay in the zone and be ready to play eight more holes?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I mean, it wasn't easy because I wasn't sure for how long we were going to be delayed, so I just went down to the locker room where it was a bit more quiet and kind of stayed in my own bubble.

Q. Talking about the playoff, that was a very long playoff. Tell us if you can your thought process going through that because there were a few times when you really had the advantage and then your opponent came back, and then she had the advantage, and you played really well and came back. Just tell us what was going on in your head.

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I didn't expect it to be that long, to be honest. I was just trying to do my best each hole and each time I had an opportunity to have a playoff, and I feel like we were both very close to winning a few times, and I just feel like we just had to make a birdie essentially. I knew she wasn't going to make a mistake, so I had to go for it and give myself the best chances for birdies.

I feel like she's an amazing player, and so I feel like it was definitely nerve-racking, but I just feel very happy to have held on for that long.

Q. People might not remember, but you played very well to come back into the game because you didn't start at the top of the leaderboard. What were you thinking and how were you playing to set yourself up to come into a playoff?

CELINE BOUTIER: Coming into the day, it was a long shot. I was quite a few shots back, and I also knew this course was pretty scorable, so I wasn't sure what the leaders are going to be like, but I was just trying to focus on my own game and make as many birdies as I could and just see at the end.

I feel like it's something that -- what the others are going to shoot, you really don't know, you really can't control, so I was just trying to shoot the lowest score I could.

Q. You're the first player this year on the LPGA to have four victories. How have you approached every tournament this year?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, just honestly, just try to keep one day at a time and just do my best each day. I feel like I just want to be able to be more in contention as much as I can, and so for that I need my game to be there. It's definitely very tough to win on Tour, and I feel like the more chances I get to play for the win, the more I will likely have some wins. I feel like I just try to put myself in this position as much as I can.

Yeah, this year has definitely been very unbelievable for me and very rewarding. I couldn't be happier with the way this season is going.

Q. Which part of your game do you feel like contributed to the rounds?

CELINE BOUTIER: I think my approach shots have been especially accurate. Today I had a lot of -- not just today, actually, just the whole week. I had a lot of tap-ins for birdies and good birdie chances, and I feel like my putter started getting better and better each round, so that definitely helped to score better today.

Q. With this win, it looks like you'll move to first in the Rolex Player of the Year standings. Was that ever something you thought you would achieve?

CELINE BOUTIER: I definitely wanted to win that award at some point in my career. I really did not expect it to be this season. I just feel like it's so hard to just be able to win already and just to be able to have the chance to have this award at the end of the season is something that I definitely don't take for granted.

I feel like it's an unbelievable amount of talent on Tour, and I'm so happy to be able to lead for that award this year.

Q. In terms of your schedule going forward, where will you be playing?

CELINE BOUTIER: I'm playing in Tampa for the Pelican in two weeks and then the CME the week after.

Q. I just wanted to ask about the playoff, where some of those moments were that you thought you might win and maybe some of the biggest shots.

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, I think honestly I can't remember which hole it was. I think it was probably either the first or the second hole playoff that I had a really good chance to win and kind of lipped out. When I hit it and I saw it rolling, I definitely thought I had a chance to win, and just lipping out was a little bit heartbreaking.

But I thought it was honestly kind of going back and forth between her and I. I had a few chances at the beginning, but then she had a few also to win, and I was able to put it out. Really it went kind of back and forth for us.

Q. You lipped out on 18, as well, right, before the playoff? Was that frustrating or sort of comical at that point when it happened twice? It was from sort of the same spot, right?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yes, it was definitely frustrating to say the least. But I honestly hit two solid putts, and it was just maybe a little bit of pace lacking the first time, and then the second time maybe just under it a tiny bit. But yeah, definitely felt like it was a bit of bad luck and I almost kind of questioned if it was my time to win this week. But definitely tried to stay patient and not really get ahead of myself too much.

Q. How will you celebrate and probably rest after this week, and what will you do to prepare for your last two events?

CELINE BOUTIER: Yeah, honestly I'm just looking forward to having a shower and a meal right now, first and foremost, and then I think I'm flying later out, going back to the States, and be able to rest as much as I can before the last two tournaments of the season.