Leona Maguire rallied on the final day, finishing in a tie for seventh at the Ascendant on the LPGA Tour after a final round of three-under-par 68 saw her post five-under-par overall in Texas, eight shots behind South Korean Hyo Joo Kim, who sealed a brilliant wire-to-wire win.
In an up-and-down round, Maguire bogeyed her first two holes but still managed to make the turn under par for the day when she birdied the sixth, eighth and ninth holes.
The Cavan golfer would then make birdies on 12 and 13 before giving one back on the 14th while her final birdie of the day came at the 17th hole. The finish moves Maguire up to 12th place in the Race to CME Globe standings as the tour heads to the Asian swing.
Kim of South Korea started with a five-shot lead and didn’t give anyone much of a chance Sunday, closing with with a 2-under 69 to win by four shots and it was the second straight week for a wire-to-wire winner on the LPGA Tour, following Hae Ran Ryu in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Bianca Pagdanganan, the big hitter from the Philippines, closed with a 65 to tie for second with Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, who also shot a 65.
“A five-shot lead feels like a comforting lead, but I did my best to just keep that edge until the end,” Kim said.
“My results this year wasn’t bad, but there was some disappointment because I didn’t have a win,” Kim said. “I had a lot of the time to think just for myself, and before this year passes I really want to win. This week I was able to accomplish that and it was just a really happy week for me.”
Lexi Thompson could only manage a 70 in her final found on the LPGA Tour before she tests her game on the PGA Tour in Las Vegas next week. She finished six shots behind in fifth place and never seriously challenged Kim.
Even so, Thompson said she was happy with the progress. This was her second straight top 10 after going the entire season without such a finish. Her last LPGA victory was more than four years ago, though she did win in a Saudi-funded event last year on the Ladies European Tour.
“Nothing but positives to take from it,” Thompson said.
And when asked what aspects of her game needed to work for her in the Shriners Children’s Open, Thompson said, “Everything, really.”
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