LEONA MAGUIRE FINISHED tied for fourth at the KPMG Irish Women’s Open at Dromoland Castle after a final-round 68 which began with back-to-back bogeys.
In front of a crowd of 10,000 in Co. Clare, home-country hero Maguire finished one shot behind the 14-under-par Klara Spilkova of the Czech Republic, Nicole Broch Estrup of Denmark, and Finnish veteran Ursula Wikstrom, with Spilkova eventually taking the title on the first play-off hole.
.@spilkovaklara has done it! 🏆
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 25, 2022
The Czech star holds her nerve to birdie the first playoff hole to claim a second LET title!
What a special moment, what a special performance ⭐️#RaiseOurGame | #WIO2022 pic.twitter.com/3i4bsSXGhV
Maguire was left to rue a three-putt on the first and a wayward tee shot on the second, both of which contributed to bogeys which pushed the Cavan woman out to four shots off the lead.
She pulled those shots back on either side of the turn, birdieing on both seven and 10, and back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 took her back inside the top 10 as Maguire began to rediscover a vain of form not dissimilar to her sensational Saturday 65.
However, a missed putt from seven feet on 15 would prove costly, further birdies on 16 and 18 leaving her shy of a play-off by the narrowest of margins.
“Over Saturday and Sunday I couldn’t have given it any more,” Maguire told RTÉ.
“The crowd support was phenomenal and they were cheering me on whether it was birdies, pars or bogeys. I wanted to play as good as I could to give them something to cheer about.”
Shoes off 👟
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 25, 2022
Socks off 🧦@spilkovaklara produces some magic from the water on 17 #RaiseOurGame | #WIO2022 pic.twitter.com/mRJx1WoCLu
Eventual champion Spilkova had to go to the well — almost literally — to pick up what was only her second European title: on the 17th, the Czech had to remove her shoes and socks to chip from the edge of a pond. She got to within four feet and rescued a par which proved crucial to her success.
Spilkova went on to birdie the last hole twice in a row — once in regulation, once in her three-way play-off — to become Irish Open champion.
