Celine Boutier moves ominously into Women's Scottish Open lead at Dundonald Links

Celine Boutier signs a hat for a young fan after opening up a three-shot lead following the third round of the Freed Group Women's Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf at Dundonald Links. Picture: Octavio Passos/Getty Images.

Talk about French polish. Celine Boutier’s last seven rounds at Dundonald Links have all been in the 60s. It took a course-record 62 to deny her in the Freed Group Women’s Scottish Open at the Ayrshire venue 12 months ago and she’s the player to beat once again heading into the closing circuit in the latest edition of the $2 million event.

As was the case when she went on to land a maiden major title with victory in the Evian Championship on home soil last weekend, the world No 4 holds a three-shot lead after an eventful final hour or so in the penultimate round.

On a day when the rain held off for the most part, Swede Maja Stark birdied the ninth to edge ahead of Japan’s Hinako Shibino, who’d led by two shots at the halfway stage.

Stark, a six-time winner on the Ladies European Tour in less than two years, then opened up a two-shot cushion after almost holing her approach at the tenth for another gain.

But, through a combination of an untidy finish for her as three shots were spilled thereafter and Boutier covering the same stretch in three under, it was all change by the time the final putt of the day dropped.

Carding a 66, Boutier sits on 13-under, three ahead of both Stark (72) and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit, who matched the leader’s effort, with 2019 AIG Women’s Open champion Shibuno slipping six off the pace after a disappointing 77.

“I definitely feel like I'm hitting a lot of good shots, which is nice,” said Boutier of setting up a great opportunity to go one better than last year, when she couldn’t do anything about Ayaka Furue’s sensational closing salvo. “Sometimes you envision shots and it doesn't always happen. I feel like today a lot happened the way I saw it. Yeah, very happy with my round.”

Stark’s assessment of her day was, well, stark. “Honestly, very, very bad,” she said. “I just didn’t trust my irons today. I also made stupid mistakes putting. I changed my mind when I was standing over the putt, then aimed somewhere else and missed. Such immature golf, I guess”

Earlier in the day, Scottish No 1 Gemma Dryburgh made a significant climb up the leaderboard on the back of a four-under 68. “Got pretty hot on the front nine,” said Dryburgh of following a hat-trick of birdies from the third with another gain at the seventh. On two-under, she’s just outside the top 25 and the Solheim Cup contender is looking for a big final push in her first outing on home soil since winning on the LPGA for the first time in Japan last November.

“It all adds up,” added Dryburgh, who recorded her first top-ten finish behind Boutier in the season’s penultimate major and will be hoping for something similar in next week’s AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath. “Hitting good shots and seeing putts go in helps the confidence going forward.”

Louise Duncan, the other Scot to make the cut, slipped from just outside the top 20 to a share of 55th following a 77. “She didn’t play badly,” reported caddie and mentor Dean Robertson. “She didn’t get it close enough on the greens and struggled with her pace on the greens.”