LEONA MAGUIRE FINISHED in a tie for second after the final round of the Lotte Championship in Hawaii as the Cavan native enjoyed the highest finish by an Irish player on the LPGA Tour.
Maguire earned €125,834 for her week’s work, her largest ever career cheque earned in her first full season on the LPGA Tour, and it’s the joint highest finish by an Irish woman on a major tour.
The 26-year-old hit a final round of 67 to finish on 21-under as Lydia Ko fired a final-round 65 to win the Lotte Championship by seven strokes.
Enjoyed every minute of my first trip to Hawaii @LPGALOTTE 🌺 My best finish so far on the @LPGA T2! Thank you everyone for the support, especially those who stayed up all night to watch!! 💚🇮🇪 #onwardsandupwards pic.twitter.com/IaMdZv5F4j
— Leona Maguire (@leona_maguire) April 18, 2021
Former world number one Ko, a two-time major champion, didn’t put a foot wrong as she notched her 16th LPGA title but her first since the 2018 Mediheal Championship.
The New Zealander’s 28-under par total of 260 at the Kapolei Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii, put her seven in front of South Korea’s Park In-bee and Kim Sei-young, American Nelly Korda along with Maguire.
Ko took a one-shot lead over Korda into the final round, but as the American struggled on the greens Ko marched relentlessly to victory.
Maguire grabbed her share of second with an eagle at the par-five 17th, to go with four birdies and a bogey.
After previous rounds of 68, 67 and 65, she began her final round positively with three birdies in her first six holes. At one stage on the front nine she had moved within three shots of the leader but then Ko accelerated clear and Maguire had to settle for a string of pars.
She moved to 20-under with a birdie on the 14th before dropping a shot on the next hole and then rounding off her week’s work in style with that eagle on the 17th to finish in the tie for second.
Stephanie Meadow finished in a tie for 57th after a final round of 70 put here on eight-under par.
Meanwhile Waterford’s Seamus Power is three shots off the lead heading into the final round of the MGM Resorts Championship at Paiute in Las Vegas.
Power shot a third round of 70 to lie on 10-under in a tie for fourth on the latest event on the Korn Ferry Tour, the level below the PGA Tour.
American Peter Uihlein leads on 13-under with Jamie Lovemark and Adam Svensson both on 12-under. Power is then joined by Callum Tarren.
After rounds of 70 and 66, Power was in a strong position but after a birdie on the 3rd kick-started his third round, his game began to unravel. Bogeys on the 5th, 6th and 9th saw him out in 38 but his back nine form was excellent.
He picked up shots on the 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th to reach 10-under and be within striking distance entering the final round.
- With additional reporting by AFP
