French golfer Celine Boutier delivered a stunning chip-in on the 18th hole, vaulting her to the top of the leaderboard on the opening day of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Shenzhen.

Competing in the event co-organized by Golf Saudi and the China Golf Association (CGA) at Mission Hills China, Boutier rebounded from a bogey on the first hole to card an impressive seven birdies and an eagle.

Her brilliant finish left her with a one-shot lead over Angel Yin, Xiyu Lin, and Sara Kouskova, who had earlier tied at six-under-par before Boutier’s clutch chip on her final hole.

In the team competition, which wraps up after the second round, Spaniard Marta Martin’s team holds a slim one-stroke lead at 20-under-par. However, they will face fierce competition, with American duo Alison Lee and Angel Yin leading their team to 18-under-par, while local favorite Xiyu Lin’s team sits close behind at 17-under-par, ready to make a move.

“It was a good first round, I feel like I stayed patient the whole round and finished really well, with five or six birdies towards the end,” said the Olympic and Solheim Cup competitor.

“There’s a lot of work still to do the next few days, but I’m happy to have a good, solid start.”

“I had a little chip in on the last hole to make an eagle. I was a bit worried about it, because the line was not great but thankfully, I was able to get a good contact.”

“It was a great day,” said captain Martin. “I think the key to success is that everybody played really well. We have a great team atmosphere; when someone wasn’t doing well, the other one was there, and it was a situation of synergy.”

Lin’s team also includes Chinese pop sensation Sun Nan, who is playing as the amateur. Sun, who has sold 10 million albums and performed the official song for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, adds star power to the event.

“It’s been amazing,” said Xiyu Lin of her round today. “I always have great time coming back to my home fans and there’s a lot of crowds out here, especially this week as a national holiday.

“The amateur in the group, he’s so famous, he’s a superstar! I would be curious to ask my parents, because I didn’t tell them that I’m playing with him, but my parents followed 18 holes today, I’d like to see how excited they are seeing him!”

This tournament marks Xiyu Lin’s first return to China since winning a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics, and the national star is eager to seize the moment.

“I want to keep that momentum going,” she concluded. “I wanted to make people happy about watching my game, so no matter how I do, it’s about making people smile as much as possible.”

Day two of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Shenzhen continues on October 5 at Mission Hills China, with the team champion set to be crowned at the close of play.

This is the fourth Aramco Team Series event of the season, following stops in Florida, Seoul, and London. The series, which was introduced to the Ladies European Tour by Golf Saudi in 2021 and now offers a $5 million annual prize pool, will conclude at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia from October 31 to November 2.

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