Ireland’s Leona Maguire captured her first LPGA title on Saturday, firing a five-under par 67 to win the Drive On Championship by three strokes.
The 27-year-old former amateur world No 1 sank seven birdies against two bogeys to finish on 18-under 198 for the 54-hole event at Crown Colony in Fort Myers, Florida.
American Lexi Thompson fired a final-round 65 to grab second on 201, one stroke ahead of compatriot Sarah Schmelzel, who shot 64.
China’s Lin Xiyu, who had a 63, shared fourth on 203 with Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit and Americans Stacy Lewis, Marina Alex and Brittany Altomare.
Maguire, the first Irish winner of an LPGA event, had the lowest final-round score in a major by any man or woman with a 61 at last year’s Evian Championship in France.
Alex and Maguire shared the lead when the final round began and both birdied the par-4 second hole. Maguire took a bogey at the par-3 third but Alex fell back as well with a bogey at the sixth.
Maguire birdied the par-3 seventh to seize the lead and both women birdied the eighth and parred the ninth to make the turn with the Irish standout ahead by one.
Maguire began the back nine with back-to-back birdie to lead by three over Alex and Thompson, who charged into contention with birdies at the par-5 fifth and par-4 sixth holes and a birdie-eagle-birdie run at the ninth through 11th holes.
Thompson and Alex birdied the par-4 13th, but Maguire did the same to restore her three-stroke edge and bogeys by Alex at 15 and Thompson at 16 plus a birdie for Maguire at 16 allowed the Irish standout to cruise down the stretch, able to finish with a bogey at 18 and still win comfortably.
Select final-round scores
198 – Leona Maguire (IRL) 66-65-67
201 – Lexi Thompson 69-67-65
202 – Sarah Schmelzel 69-69-64
203 – Lin Xiyu (CHN) 68-72-63, Patty Tavatanakit (THA) 66-70-67, Brittany Altomare 68-67-68, Stacy Lewis 68-67-68, Marina Alex 65-66-72
204 – Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (FRA) 70-67-67, Lee6 Jeong-eun (KOR) 67-69-68
205 – Cheyenne Knight 70-69-66, Brooke Henderson (CAN) 71-67-67, Atthaya Thitikul (THA) 71-66-68, Charley Hull (ENG) 67-70-68
206 – Aditi Ashok (IND) 72-71-63, Nelly Korda 72-70-64, Choi Hye-jin (KOR) 71-69-66, Madelene Sagstrom (SWE) 67-71-68, Nanna Madsen (DEN) 68-69-69
207 – Jenny Shin (KOR) 74-68-65, Perrine Delacour (FRA) 73-67-67, Kelly Tan (MAS) 71-69-67, Caroline Masson (GER) 67-72-68, Celine Boutier (FRA) 70-67-70, Hong Yae-eun (KOR) 68-69-70
208 – Georgia Hall (ENG) 70-71-67, Megan Khang 68-72-68, Chun In-gee (KOR) 70-68-70, Lauren Stephenson 72-65-71
AFP