IRELAND’S LEONA MAGUIRE has battled back from four down to win her second straight game, a 1-up victory over South Korean’s Jenny Shin at the LPGA Match-Play in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Cavan native, who defeated Linnea Strom in her opening group game, had a difficult start on Thursday, falling 4 down in her first eight holes. She went on to win the 9th, 11th and 14th holes before levelling the contest at the 15th. She drifted one back after losing the 16th and won the final two holes to finish on 1 up.
Maguire will face South Korea’s Na-Rin An in her third group game on Friday.
“I think you can have some really big wins if someone is just on fire, but you don’t have to miss very much to find yourself in trouble out here,” Maguire said.
“But at the same time, you can have those big seesaw matches where someone’s up, someone is down — you can make a comeback.”
Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela defeated top-seeded American Lilia Vu 2 up on Thursday as the fight for round-of-16 berths heated up.
The second day of round-robin play saw 16 players in the field of 64 mathematically eliminated with one more round of group matches to come on Friday.
They included China’s Lin Xiyu, the highest-ranked player in her group, who suffered a second straight defeat with her 3&2 loss to Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn.
Valenzuela improved to 2-0 with her win over Vu, the highest-ranked player in the field at fourth in the world and winner of her first major title at the Chevron Championship last month.
Valenzuela trailed early, but won four holes in a five-hole span from the sixth through the 10th to take control.
Defending champion Ji Eun-hee, who had opened with a victory on Wednesday, also lost on Thursday, with Canadian Maddie Szeryk downing the South Korean 3&2.
Valenzuela was among 10 players to improve to 2-0, a group that also included American Ally Ewing — winner of the inaugural edition in 2021 — and 2022 runner-up Ayaka Furue of Japan.
Ewing beat Thailand’s Jaravee Boonchant 3&2 while Furue beat American Stacy Lewis 4&2.
Three-time major winner Anna Nordqvist of Sweden notched her second-straight win, leading 4-up before holding on for a 1-up win over Lauren Coughlin.
Sweden’s Maja Stark also won her second-straight match, downing Liu Yu of China 2&1.
Stark, 23, is playing the tournament at Shadow Creek for the first time, but her precise iron play saw her win five of the first seven holes to take control of her match.
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