Ireland’s Leona Maguire and France’s Celine Boutier saved their best for last on the final day of the AIG Women’s Open.
The duo, who were part of the winning European Solheim Cup team in 2021, managed to tame the conditions at Muirfield in their final round.
Maguire fired the round of the day, a bogey-free 66, to secure her best finish in a Major as she ended with a total of seven-under-par to tie for fourth place.
The Irishwoman, who won her maiden LPGA Tour title earlier this year, rolled in birdies on four, 11 and 13, as well as an eagle on the fifth to seal her round of five-under.
“Overall, I was bogey-free and five-under in the last round of major, I think these conditions were possibly the toughest of the four days,” said Maguire.
“It was windy from the get-go, so that was the potential I knew was in there all week, and it was nice to finish it off today. It would have been nice to get to 10-under and I kind of had 10 in my head. It’s definitely a top-10 and my best AIG Women’s Open so far, and a really, really solid week.
“I felt like I kept it out of the fairway bunkers this week, and I didn’t hit it in a single fairway bunker. I drove it as well as I’ve probably drove it in a while. If I had had my week on the greens, things could have been a lot different.”
While Boutier finished her week with a round of 67 (-4) after rounds of 68, 70 and 74 on the first three days of the Championship.
Despite starting her day with a bogey, the three-time LET winner soon rolled in an eagle on the fifth and a birdie on the eighth.
On the back nine, the Frenchwoman dropped shots on the 10th and 14th but also rolled in four birdies for her 67 and to reach a total of five-under-par and finish in T7.
“I feel like up-and-down kind of round,” she said. “I started with a bogey so that wasn’t the best part. I just managed to stay patient, and I made a couple of birdies at the end on 17 and 18 that really helped me out a lot. It was playing tough, but you just had to stay patient and not be too down on yourself.
“It definitely feels great. I wanted to play strong on this one, I missed two cuts at KPMG and Evian, so it feels good to finish with a good round and finish in a Major. I’m excited for next year and just to get another chance at winning Majors.
“I think you can take a lot from this week because you have to be really strong mentally on this course. It’s a grind out there. You have to be really patient, but at the same time really hungry. You have to be very aggressive when you can, when you have the chances, and it tells a lot about the player.”
