Celine Boutier built her game at Duke University before turning professional in 2016, and she went on to become the most successful French woman in LPGA Tour history. Despite holding that record, a long winless stretch followed her. On Sunday, at Bay Course, the wait ended as she earned her seventh LPGA title. As the ShopRite LPGA Classic ended, good wishes started pouring in.

Her 2026 win at the $2 million event was the second time Celine Boutier took home the ShopRite Classic title. Her first one came here five years ago in 2021. That year she played across three rounds, carding 66-70-63 to finish at 14 under.

She had started the last day five shots behind the leaders and came through with a bogey-free round, making six birdies on the front nine alone to put pressure on the field. She won by one stroke over Jin Young Ko, Inbee Park, and Brooke Henderson, three of the best players in the world at the time. It became her second LPGA Tour title.

Now, the 2026 win has freed her of her longest winless stretch on the LPGA Tour of 2.5 years, as she takes home a $300,000 first prize check from the total prize purse of $2 million for the championship. And as for her performance, it was splendid.

Boutier came out strong from the very first day. On Friday, she shot a 5-under 66, which put her right up at the top of the early leaderboard. However, Saturday was a different story. The winds were brutal, and they made the gameplay entirely different. She posted a 72, which slipped her four shots behind the leader heading into the final round. But Sunday is where it all came together.

She kept errors off the card and finished the tournament as the champion. It was the same course at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club where she had won this title back in 2021. And she said it herself after round one that she feels at home here.

“I feel very comfortable on it. It gets pretty windy, so I kind of like that challenge as well.”

Her last victory before this was the Maybank Championship in October 2023. It was a nine-hole playoff win over Jeeno Thitikul. At the end of the season, she had claimed four LPGA titles, including a major: the Amundi Evian Championship and the Rolex Player of the Year award.

In 2024, Boutier finished runner-up at the BMW Ladies Championship. It was her second runner-up result of that season; the first was the HSBC Women’s World Championship. And into 2025, her near misses continued.

At the Mizuho Americas Open, she trailed Jenno Thitikul heading into the final round and finished runner-up four shots behind the eventual winner. Again, at the T-Mobile match play in Las Vegas, she pushed even harder. Boutier actually outlasted Ashleigh Buhai on the 28th hole, only to return 30 minutes later for a quarterfinal against Madelene Sagstrom that was suspended at nightfall.

Her most recent one came just three weeks before at the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open, where she played the final group alongside Thitikul and had three bogeys, which made her fall out of contention entirely, finishing tied for ninth.

But now she is back with her game, and everybody has rushed to congratulate her.

Fans have rushed to congratulate the LPGA’s Celine Boutier

The LPGA Tour’s Instagram post had barely gone up before the golf world responded. The first notable comment came from Boutier’s equipment sponsor, PXG. The equipment brand has backed Boutier throughout her career, and the win represents a return on that relationship.

They wrote, “Congrats to PXG Troop @celineboutier 👏👏👏”

Duke Golf, the program where Boutier spent four formative years before turning professional, followed closely. They wrote, “That’s our Blue Devil @celineboutier!!! 👏👏👏”

Boutier was the ACC Rookie of the Year, a National Player of the Year, and an All-American during her time at Duke. And it is a record that has marked her as someone destined for the professional stage. The university has tracked her career since then, and this win at an event she clearly loves gave them every reason to make noise about it.

The Facebook comments section from fans has also filled in as they congratulate her. “I’m so proud of you. Congratulations.” While another wrote, “Congratulations. Great golfing.”

Scotty Kim, PXG’s LPGA Tour manager, also congratulated her. He commented, “CELINE!!! 🏆🏆”

Kim is a man who manages the staff on the ground, and Boutier has been part of that roster throughout her career. The two have worked closely through highs and lows, making this one of the most personal reactions in the comment section.

One user simply wrote, “Allez,” which is a French word for “go” that doubles as a rallying cry. The comment section on both platforms has one clear message: France has its 2026 champion back.