LEONA MAGUIRE SHOT a bogey-free 64 in her final round to finish on 19 under at the LPGA Thailand.
The Cavan native tied for 12th in the tournament overall. A tense playoff between Lin Xiyu and Nanna Koerstz Madsen brought the final round to a spectacular close with the Danish player snatching victory on Sunday.
Koerstz Madsen became the first player from Denmark to win the LPGA title, taking home the tournament’s $240,000 prize at the Siam Country Club.
Maguire started strongly with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes. She followed it up later with birdies on the 14th, 15th and 18th.
Two-time Olympian Madsen bolted out of the gates on her final round with an eagle before ending on 67 — and chalked up a tournament record in the process.
“It was fun. I really tried to enjoy the moment. Standing now with the trophy it was even more fun,” she said.
Towards the end of the front nine the 27-year-old began to wobble, chalking up one bogey at the seventh hole and then another two at the sixteenth and final.
But she triumphed in the end, sweating through hot conditions and play disrupted by lightning, to sink another eagle in the playoffs for the win.
“A little bummed on 18, the ordinary play was not very fun,” Koerstz Madsen said, before adding: “But now it’s great.”
Her win is sweet vindication after taking the lead previously in the final round at 2021 AIG Women’s Open only to lose out with a double bogey at the end.
“I think I have more confidence with my game and myself. I believe that I can win out here, so that’s just what I have been chasing for the last year,” she said.
Additional reporting by – © AFP 2022
