Ladies European Tour rookie Leona Maguire from Ireland earned her first professional title in the Windsor Golf Classic on the Symetra Tour.
The 24-year-old from County Cavan birdied the first play-off hole at Windsor Golf Club in Windsor, California, to defeat Pajaree Anannarukarn. Maguire fired a final round seven-under par,65, to sit atop the leader board at the end of regulation play, but it was Anannarukarn’s birdie on No. 18 that forced the sudden-death playoff.
Maguire won with a birdie on the first extra hole.
“I’ve been so close for the past few weeks and started off really well today, tried to keep my foot down,” said Maguire, who was the IOA Championship 36-hole leader and finished tied for fourth. “I suppose being so close last week gave me a little bit of extra motivation and it tastes a little sweeter today.”
“I knew the way the course was setup today, the greens a bit softer and I left a lot of chances out there yesterday,” said Maguire, who trailed by three shots entering the final round. “Chipped in on the first for birdie which kickstarted by round, then holed a few nice putts to keep the momentum going. The way the greens and pins were I knew I had to go low to catch Pajaree, everyone was going to make birdies.”
