KUALA LUMPUR: Coming off a strong run of recent results, French star Celine Boutier aims to successfully defend her title at the Maybank Championship, which begins at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) on Thursday.
The 30-year-old, who defeated Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul in an epic nine-hole playoff to become the inaugural champion last year, has built impressive momentum lately, securing a victory and a runner-up finish in the past three weeks.
Boutier claimed the individual title at the Aramco Team Series, a Ladies European Tour event in Shenzhen, China, three weeks ago before finishing second to Australia's Hannah Green at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea last Sunday.
This fine form comes at an opportune time as the world No. 7 seeks to successfully defend a title for the first time in her career.
"Being able to see some results in the last few weeks has been really good personally, and hopefully I can keep the momentum going for the next few weeks," said Boutier, who has six LPGA Tour titles to her name.
"There are a lot of positive emotions coming back and good memories from last year. Maybe there's some added pressure because I want to perform well and defend my title.
"It's a unique situation. I feel good. I hope to put in a solid performance this week and give myself a chance. That's all I can ask for, and we'll see what happens."
Thitikul, also present at the pre-tournament press conference, expressed her desire to contend again at KLGCC after falling to Boutier in a lengthy playoff that tied for the second-longest in LPGA Tour history.
The Thai star, who has not added to her two LPGA Tour titles since her breakthrough 2022 season, believes competing in Kuala Lumpur, close to home and with strong fan support, provides extra motivation.
"It feels like home because it's close to Thailand. The heat is similar, and the food is always nice. I just love playing in Malaysia," said Thitikul.
"I want to win, but I know there are a lot of talented players out here on the LPGA Tour. They can shoot nine-under, eight-under, or even ten-under in the final round or any day. It's going to be competitive week by week.
'I'm really looking forward to controlling my mindset, staying positive, and being in the present. That should be the best I can do out there."
The Maybank Championship has been hit by the eleventh-hour withdrawal of several top players, notably world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States and New Zealand's Lydia Ko, the world No. 3 and reigning Olympic gold medallist.
However, the 78-player field remains highly competitive, featuring eight other top-10 stars including Lilia Vu (No. 2), China's Yin Ruoning (No. 4), Green (No. 5), Japan's Ayaka Furue (No. 8), and South Korea's Ryu Hae Ran (No. 9) and Amy Yang (No. 10).
The Maybank Championship offers a US$3 million prize purse, with the winner set to receive US$450,000.