GALLOWAY — A day after players battled wind gusts approaching 30 miles per hour, the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Powered by Wakefern at Seaview Country Club presented a completely different challenge: ideal scoring conditions and a leaderboard ready to be attacked.
No player took advantage more than Céline Boutier.
Starting the day four shots behind overnight leader Soo Bin Joo, Boutier fired a brilliant 5-under-par 66 to claim her second ShopRite LPGA Classic championship and a $300,000 winner’s check. In doing so, she overtook a struggling Joo, who managed only an even-par round on a day when low scores were available throughout the course.
While others around her stumbled, Boutier never appeared rattled. Even after a bogey on the seventh hole, she calmly settled back into her rhythm and played the final 11 holes at 4-under par. Every shot seemed to have a purpose. Every approach found its target. From tee to green, Boutier made the difficult game of golf look remarkably easy.
Her closest challenger ended up being Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who finished just one shot behind. Yet despite the narrow margin, the outcome rarely felt in doubt. Boutier controlled the round with the poise and confidence of a player who knew exactly what needed to be done.
When asked in the winner’s circle what she was thinking as she began the day four shots off the lead, Boutier’s answer was refreshingly simple.
“I wasn’t thinking anything.”
In many ways, that answer perfectly summed up her performance.
When you begin a final round four shots back, chasing the leaderboard often leads to mistakes. Instead, Boutier stayed committed to her game plan, focused on one shot at a time, and trusted that the scores would take care of themselves. They did.
“I just trying to shoot the lower score, but I just didn’t really pay too much attention to the leaderboard throughout my round. I was just focused on what I was doing,” Boutier added in a post-round press conference.
The victory also comes at a significant time in Boutier’s season. With the $300,000 first-place prize, Boutier doubles the earnings she accumulated through her first nine events of 2026. Golf is a funny game. Sometimes months of solid play can go unrewarded, and sometimes one victory can completely change the trajectory of a season.
Boutier is certainly hoping this win serves as that spark.
The timing could not be better, with the U.S. Women’s Open looming next week. Confidence is one of the most valuable clubs in a golfer’s bag, and Boutier will arrive carrying plenty of it.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it’s definitely always good to come back after a win,” Boutier said of of what the win at Seaview means heading into the U.S. Women’s open, adding, “I think it’s going to be a very different challenge for sure with different course conditions, but I’m excited to see what the course is going to be like. Very, again, happy where my game is at, so let’s see what I can do there.”
As for the ShopRite LPGA Classic, perhaps it’s fitting that the tournament is sponsored by a supermarket chain. On Sunday, Boutier showed up with a shopping list of her own: fairways, greens, birdies, and a trophy. By the end of the afternoon, she had checked off every item in the cart.
For the second time at Seaview, Céline Boutier headed to the checkout line as champion.
