Leona Maguire : Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

LEONA MAGUIRE is looking forward to a break after clinching her career-best finish in a Major with a tie for 15th in the KPMG Women’s PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club.

The Co Cavan star (26) made three birdies in a one-under 71 to finish on four-under-par ($58,839) as Nelly Korda (22) claimed her maiden Major win, closing with a four-under 68 to win by three shots from Lizette Salas, who shot 71, on 19-under par. Scores

“I felt like I stuck to my game plan and played really solid all week,” said Maguire, who was runner-up to Korda in the previous week’s Meijer LPGA Classic. “I was very disciplined, went at pins that I could go at and played smart at other holes.

“Only put one ball in the water this week, which I felt was pretty good. Overall to have had a total under par around this golf course is something I'm really happy with.

“You had to be so patient on this golf course. The leaders are shooting some incredible scores, but for me it was kind of hanging in there, taking the chances when I got them.

“If I could have holed a few more putts could have been a bit better, but overall happy with how I played, and I think it might be my best major finish so far, so yeah, progress.”

On the European Tour, Viktor Hovland held off a final round charge from Ryder Cup vice-captain Martin Kaymer to win the BMW International Open by two shots on 19-under after a closing 70.

Scores

Kaymer (36) hopes he can still qualify for Whistling Straits or give Pádraig Harrington “something to think about” after he fired an eight-under 64 to set the target and forced Hovland (23) to play the last six holes under par to become Norway’s first European Tour winner.

Hovland took a three-stroke lead into the final round but was still level for the day when Kaymer made a 13 footer at the 18th to tie for the lead on 17-under.

The Norwegian heard the roar and immediately birdied the 13th to regain the outright lead, saved par from eight feet at the 14th, then chipped and putted for birdie at the driveable 16th before recovering from a three-putt bogey at the 17th with a closing two-putt birdie.

"I'm kind of glad that's all over," Hovland confessed. "Sleeping on the lead, you think about winning, and yes, it was a long day and very stressful. I saw that Martin was creeping up from behind, and Jorge (Campillo, third on 15-under) was hanging in there.

"But making birdie on 13 helped me a lot, as did the par-save on 14. That was big for momentum. From there, I was just trying to play solid golf and not make too many mistakes."

Royal Dublin's Niall Kearney closed with a 71 to tie for 12th on 12-under, banking €23,394 to move up to 118th in the Race to Dubai ahead of this week's Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Mount Juliet.

“I was solid, I did well,” Kearney said. “I have to take advantage of these chances and I have another one at Mount Juliet now. If you had offered me 12th place at the start of the week, I’d have taken it.”

Meanwhile, Seamus Power will have to Monday qualify for this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic after a late double-bogey saw to miss out on a top-10 finish in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut where Harris English beat Harris English with a birdie on the eighth playoff hole _ the second-longest in the history of the PGA Tour — after they tied on 13-under and then parred the first seven extra holes at TPC River Highlands.

Scores

English (31) made a 28 footer on the 18th for a 65 to set the target before Hickok matched him from nine feet to force sudden-death after a 67.

In sudden-death, both players made a string of six to eight-footer to stay alive as they parred the 18th, 18th, 17th, 18th, 17th, 18th and 18th before English made a nine footer on their 26th hole of the day to win his fourth PGA Tour title.

“Yeah, this was awesome,” English said after his second playoff win this season. “The fans were keeping us in this it, getting the juice from them. That's been really all afternoon. Hats off to Kramer. What a competitor. We were both grinding. That's what it was all about. We were grinding and trying our hardest.

“Went to seven or eight holes, I don't know how many it went. That was incredible. What an experience and the fans were awesome. They're always great here in Hartford, and glad we got to give them a little show at the end.”

He added: “Kind of sorry it took seven or eight holes, but we were both grinding. Kramer is a hell of a competitor. We were both fighting to the end and that's what you want.”

Julien Brun of France celebrates on the 18th green with the winners trophy after the final round of the Open de Bretagne at Golf Bluegreen de Pleneuf Val Andre on June 27, 2021 in Pleneuf, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

Left waiting for his first PGA Tour win, Hickok said: “I'm tired. It was a hard-fought battle. That was our eighth playoff hole. I never thought I'd be playing 27 holes today. But the way these pins are situated and the wind, it just made it tough to make birdies on these last few holes, 17 and 18, the playoff holes. Harris battled so well and so hard.

“I was just trying to put as much pressure on him as possible. He was trying to do the same. I put him in uncomfortable spots, he put me in some too, and he came out on top today, and that's a true champion.”

Fourth reserve for this week's event at Detroit Golf Club, Toornanena man Power (34) was three-under for the day and tied ninth with three holes to go but found water and double-bogeyed the par-three 16th to shoot 69 and tie for 19th with Bubba Watson, who collapsed down the stretch, on seven-under.

In Brittany, Paul McBride closed with a four-under 66 to clinched a career-best tie for 14th on five-under, eight shots behind France's Julien Brun in the Challenge Tour's Open de Bretagne.

Scores

Cameron Raymond shot 67 to tie for 29th in two-under, with Gavin Moynihan 59th on seven-over after a 74.