Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge
Willow Run Golf Course
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota -- Celine
Boutier (Montrouge, France) built a big lead on the back nine and held
off Benyapa Niphatsophon (Bangkok, Thailand) to win the Sioux Falls
GreatLIFE Challenge by one-stroke on Sunday. She carded an even-par, 72
in progressively more difficult conditions as the day continued and
finished with a four-day total of 11-under, 273 to edge Niphatsophon.
Katelyn Dambaugh (North Charleston, S.C.) finished third at 8-under,
276.
Boutier
picks up her second win of the season and locks up a spot on the LPGA
Tour for the 2018 season. Boutier’s first-place check of $31,500 moves
her to $96,748 earned in 17 starts. Boutier moves to second on the
Volvik Race for the Card money list and has now earned the fifth most in
a single-season in Tour history. Niphatsophon earned the second place
check of $19,887 to get to $102,288, the third player in Tour history to
crack $100,000 in single-season earnings.
“It’s
amazing, I definitely wanted to win again this season," said the
23-year-old Boutier. “It’s so great that I had my chance this week at
the biggest tournament of the season. I’m just ecstatic.”
Boutier has made eight starts on the LPGA and now will get to play the Tour full-time for the first time in 2018.
“It
is something I’ve been working on for a long time because I’ve always
wanted to be on the LPGA,” said Boutier. “I’m just going to use the last
couple events on the Symetra Tour to get ready and prepare for next
year on the LPGA.”
Boutier
has developed a knack for winning big events and she hopes that
translates to the LPGA. Her other win came at the Self Regional
Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic, which carries the second
largest purse of the season.
“I
guess I’m a little lucky on the big events, timing wise this has been
perfect,” said Boutier. “Hopefully next year I can play well at the
majors.”
After
a 63 on Saturday, Boutier wasn’t as hot on the front nine on Sunday.
She started the day with nine pars including a clutch 8-10 footer on
hole nine. She made the turn just one-stroke in front of Katelyn
Dambaugh. Boutier made a 10-footer for birdie on the par-5 10th and also
made birdie on 12 to get to 13-under. At that point, her lead swelled
to four shots.
It
remained that way until the 17th hole when Boutier made her first bogey
of the day and Niphatsophon made birdie. The lead was two-strokes to
the 18th hole and Boutier sprayed her tee shot right. She had an angle
to the green, but was playing from the almost the first fairway. She
recovered with a nice approach to the left fringe. Niphatsophon missed
her approach short and left, but nearly chipped in for birdie. Boutier
three-putted for bogey, which was good enough for a one-stroke win.
“The
conditions were tough,” said Boutier. “I kind of had a slow start with
nine pars on the front so it wasn’t bad, but not amazing either. The
wind started to pick up late on the back nine and I made bogeys on the
last two, but I feel like overall my game was solid.”
Boutier grew up watching The Evian Championship in France and that spured her interest in playing on the Tour.
“Every
year, I would watch The Evian Championship and get excited about
playing the LPGA,” said Boutier. “When I went to college (Duke), I
always had the LPGA in mind and college was a great stepping stone. It
was one foot into the U.S. and I started to learn more about the country
and the language.”
There
is one new member of the Volvik Race for the Card money list top 10.
Lindsey Weaver (Bellefontaine, Ohio) finished T8 and moved from 11th to
10th. Dambaugh also made a big move up the money list. She jumped from
29 to 16. Kim Welch (Sacramento, Calif.) finished fourth to move from
24th to 15th.
GREATLIFE CEO ANNOUNCES THREE-YEAR EXTENSION:
During the trophy ceremony on the 18th green, GreatLIFE CEO Tom Walsh
announced a three-year extension of the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge through 2020.
He
asked the crowd, which was one of the largest of the season, if they
wanted the women back next year. The crowd roared and then Walsh said
“alright, we are coming back for three more years” and the crowd roared
again in approval.
The
Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge started at Willow Run Golf Course in
2015 and quickly became one of the premier events on the schedule.
$91,000 DONATION MADE TO HOUSTON RELIEF EFFORTS: GreatLIFE CEO Tom Walsh also announced
during the trophy ceremony that the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge had
reached $91,000 and counting for the Hurricane Harvey relief fund
started by Symetra Tour player Shannon Fish on Monday.
Fish,
a Houston native, tweeted Monday night that she was donating $100 per
birdie and $500 per eagle made this week to help aid victims of
Hurricane Harvey. Then, the Symetra Tour decided to match her donation
and the tournament did the same.
On
Tuesday night, Walsh announced at the pairings party that GreatLIFE
would match up to $50,000 and that’s when things really took off.
The
GreatLIFE Cares Foundation is going to keep the fund open through
September and a final donation will be made in early October.
“It’s
amazing what this community has done in less than a week,” said Fish.
“I missed the cut this week, but my heart has never been so full. When I
wrote the tweet on Monday, I had no idea that this would turn into
something that is truly going to help my city. Thanks to everyone that
has helped give hope back to Houston all the way from Sioux Falls. We
have made a difference.”
