Another top 20 for Leona Maguire in Australia
Leona Maguire of Ireland during a practice round for the ACTEWAGL Canberra Classic at Royal Canberra Golf Club. Credit: Tristan Jones/LET
Leona Maguire headed from Australia for Florida with a spring in her step after a successful four-week stint Down Under.
The Slieve Russell touring professional made it back to back top 20 finishes on the Ladies European Tour when she tied for 14th (€1,675) behind the Netherlands' Anne Van Dam (€14,080 ) in the ActewAGL Canberra Classic at Royal Canberra Golf Club to lie 31st in the Order of Merit.
The Co Cavan native (24) closed with a one-over 72 — her second over-par closing round in a row after the 75 that relegated her to tied 20th in the Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic - Bonville last week.
Three over for the day after following a birdie at the first with bogeys at the fifth, ninth. 12th and 13th, she finished strongly in Canberra — just as she had done in the first two rounds — closing with birdies at the 16th and 18th to finish on four-under par.
Her next start comes when she plays the SKYiGOLF Championship at Charlotte Harbor National Golf Club on the Symetra Tour in Florida next week (March 7-10)
And after missing the cut by just one stroke on the LPGA Tour's wind-blown ISPS Handa Vic Open in her first start in 2019, she can be pleased with her first month on the road.
Ranked second for driving accuracy (92.31percent), 21st for greens hit in regulation (72.22 per cent) and 44th for driving distance (255 yards compared to Van Dam's 294), she will be keen to improve her putting statistics as she's ranked 80th on the LET with an average of 33 putts for her last three recorded rounds.
As for Canberra, big-hitting Van Dam surged home on the final nine, carding a six-under 65 to win her third Ladies European Tour title in six months, and her fourth overall, by three strokes.
Van Dam began the day as joint leader on 11 under and duelled with defending champion Jiyai Shin of South Korea through the back nine before picking up four shots in the final four holes.
Anne Van Dam. Credit: Tristan Jones/LET
Slovenia Katja Pogacar – the other overnight leader – also came home strongly with two birdies in the final four holes to finish 14-under par, one ahead of Shin.
“It gave me so much confidence that I knew I could birdie every hole here," Van Dam said. "I just had to stay patient, trust my long game and I was really happy with the way I putted.”
The day began with a group of five players separated by just two shots at the top of the leaderboard and while Van Dam led at the halfway mark by one shot, Shin and Scotland's Carly Booth and Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom were all within striking distance.
Shin looked the most threatening having moved to 12 under and she then drew level with Van Dam at the 12th, only to lose the lead the next hole with a bogey five.
But the defending champion refused to surrender her title and again drew level with a birdie on 15.
Just when it looked like the championship was shifting, the long-hitting Van Dam reached the 15th in two and then holed the eagle putt to move to 15-under.
Shin continued to stake a claim for the title when she birdied 16 to be one shot behind Van Dam.
The Korean bogeyed 17 and Van Dam seized the advantage with a birdie on the 16th and then crowned her victory with another birdie at the 18th to finish on 17-under -par.
Pogacar surged home with a final round of 68 to claim second place and her best finish on the Ladies European Tour.
The next event on the Ladies European Tour is the Women’s New South Wales Open at Queanbeyan, just 20 minutes from the venue of this week’s tournament at Royal Canberra Golf Club, from March 7-10.
