Leona Maguire’s hopes of another run to the final of the T-Mobile LPGA Matchplay are over after she coughed up a four hole lead to Jin Young Ko late on Thursday at Shadow Creek.
After a heavy defeat to group leader Brooke Henderson on the opening day, Maguire needed to beat the former world number one Ko to have a chance of advancing on the final day.
The Cavan woman made a great start to her must win clash going 1UP with a par at the third hole before a birdie on the 4th doubled her advantage.
Maguire won the 8th and 9th to build a seemingly unassailable 4UP lead but after Ko trimmed the deficit back to three holes on the eleventh, the Korean gained momentum and produced a stirring comeback.
A par on 11 was good enough to whittle the deficit back to just two holes and a par on 17 saw her move to within one of Maguire and take the match down the last.
Ko finished in style with a closing birdie to secure a half points and end Maguire’s hopes of advancing.
Group leader Henderson was in sensational form again and has needed only 27 holes to win two matches.
One day after a 6-and-5 win in the opening round, Henderson pulled away late by winning five of her last seven holes in a 5-and-4 win over Peiyun Chien of Taiwan.
Nelly Korda, the defending champion and world number one will have to beat Ariya Jutanugarn to win her group. Korda halved her opening match and she had a few shaky moments in a 1-up win over Jennifer Kupcho.
“Very questionable by me,” Korda said of her play. “Definitely don’t have my best stuff right now.. That’s the greatest thing about match play, is even if you don’t have your best stuff you have to grind it out.”
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