Which Is the Longest Sudden Death Playoff in LPGA History? Did Celine Boutier Manage To Break It?

Today, Celine Boutier hoisted her flag once again on the LPGA Tour. This week she played in the Maybank Championship in Malaysia. Marking her fifth win on the Tour with this tournament, Boutier has added her name to the list of top golfers in the league. But this was not an easy feat to achieve.

To achieve the final victory today she was involved in a nine-hole playoff. The longest playoff on tour was a 10-hole one between Jo Ann Prentice, Sandra Palmer, and Kathy Whitworth at the 1972 Corpus Christi Civitan Open. Back then, Prentice knocked in a four-foot birdie putt to win. Did Boutier beat it today?

Celine Boutier’s intense playoff with Atthaya Thitikul at the Maybank Championship

Winning on the LPGA Tour is not an easy task at all. Fighting off against the world’s best female golfers on a weekly basis is no joke. But Celine Boutier is making it look like a piece of cake. This year she won three tournaments, one of which was a major. Today is the day of her third win in Malaysia. Going against Atthaya Thitikul, Boutier won the Maybank event.

Both the players were involved in the longest playoff on the LPGA Tour. From the beginning of the day, both Thitikul and Boutier were making similar shots on many holes and remained tied for eight holes. Their game was also interrupted by a 90-minute storm delay on the course. It was on the ninth hole that the payoff took an intense turn.

When Thitikul narrowly missed her birdie putt, it gave Boutier a chance to steal the game. She delivered a 6-foot birdie and snatched the trophy from under her opponent’s nose. Both the players finished 21-under 267 after 72 regulation holes. Boutier shot an 8-under 64 with eight birdies. Had Atthaya not made a birdie on the final hole for a 68 then the playoff would have not continued in the killing heat and humid weather of Malaysia.

With this, they come second on the list of the longest play in the tour’s history and sit beside Jiyai Shin and Paula Creamer who had a similar playoff during the 2012 Kingsmill Championship.

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How did Boutier feel about this match?

Speaking about the playoff Boutier said “I didn’t expect it to be that long, to be honest. I felt like we were both very close to winning a few times, and I just felt 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.” 

This win comes shortly after Boutier tasted victory at the Solheim Cup in September. With the Maybank win, Boutier has not only earned the approval of her fans but also become part of LPGA playoff history.

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