Washington (AFP) – Celine Boutier had seven birdies and three bogeys in a rollercoaster four-under-par 68 on Friday to join Carlota Ciganda, Choi Hye-jin, and Karis Davidson atop the leaderboard midway through the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan. France’s Boutier coped admirably with the breezy conditions at Blythefield Country Club to put herself in position to challenge for a seventh LPGA title and a first since she claimed three in 2023.
Ciganda and Choi both shot five-under-par 67s to join her on eight-under 136, while Davidson had two birdies in her last three holes in a two-under 70. “Very satisfied with my round,” Boutier said. “I feel like I made a lot of birdies, a few bogeys as well, but I was able to handle the wind quite well today and was able to make a few putts, which really helped me out.”
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Boutier, 31, teed off on 10 and birdied the 12th and 14th, then followed a bogey at 15 with birdies at 16 and 18. She gave a stroke back at the first, birdied the third and fifth, and after a bogey at the seventh, birdied the eighth to seize her share of the lead. “I definitely feel like today you had to take into account the wind a little bit more,” Boutier said. “Even putting and stuff, sometimes you have to back out a little bit because it was kind of gusty.”
Ciganda had seven birdies and two bogeys in a five-under round she called “very solid.” “Stayed patient out there,” Ciganda, a two-time LPGA winner, said. “The back nine I hit good shots and made really good putts coming in,” added the Spaniard, who needed 28 putts for the round.
Choi Hye-jin, who is seeking her first LPGA title, had six birdies and a bogey, seizing her share of the lead with birdies at the 16th and 18th. The leading trio had a one-shot lead over a group of six players on a congested leaderboard. Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Americans Lexi Thompson and Amanda Doherty, England’s Bronte Law, Australian Minjee Lee, and Paraguay’s Sofia Garcia were all tied on 137.
Australian Grace Kim, who started the day one shot off the lead, was tied atop the leaderboard at eight-under before two late bogeys and finished the day among another half-dozen players sharing 11th on 138 — just two shots off the lead. Overnight leader Lee Mi-hyang of South Korea carded a three-over 75 and was in a group of eight players on 139.
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