Leona Maguire can be very proud of her performance at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open as the 31-year-old secured her third top-10 finish of the year thanks to a two-under-par final round as Jenny Shin did just enough to secure a wire-to-wire victory.
All week long the wind swirled around Dundonald Links but that didn’t phase Maguire as the two-time LPGA winner kept it very tight around the Gailes, posting just one over-par round throughout the tournament.
All of Maguire’s action came on the front nine. The choppy conditions didn’t stop the Cavan native from making five birdies through nine holes, including a hat trick of them that came from holes five through seven.
Maguire’s smart golf was over shadowed by a punished error that came at the par-4 eighth where she made a double bogey and made the turn at two-under.
That costly mistake could have unearthed a world of trouble but Maguire stayed true and kept the head as she would go on to make birdie at the 14th followed by a bogey 16th to get back to the clubhouse with a two-under-par 70.
Maguire’s strong showing sees her climb three places in the Race to CME Globe rankings to 36th.
Shin can thank her low scores that came in rounds one and two as the Korean was able to post a three-over-par round on Sunday and still secure the win by two strokes, finishing with a score of nine-under.
The 33-year-old shown signs of nerves closing out the front nine as she made three bogeys in a row but two early birdies on the back nine settled her right in again. As the day went on it was certain no one was catching Shin. Shin made two more bogeys closing out her round at the 16th and 18th.
This is Shin’s first win in 3,738 days – more than a decade long wait.
“My first win didn’t really feel like a win at the time. I didn’t feel like I deserved it. But this one definitely feels a lot different,” Shin said. “This one feels like I earned it. I worked hard for it.”
“I started working with my putting coach four years ago, and he asked me what my goal was. I said I needed to win before I retire,” Shin added.
Fellow Korean Kim A-Lim was the closest to Shin as she finished T2 at seven-under. Kim posted one of the lower rounds of the day, a four-under-par 68, but that still wasn’t enough to pressure Shin.
Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn finished solo third at five-under. Anannarukarn posted a two-over-par 74 on the final day.
Nelly Korda managed to post her first under-par round on Sunday. The world no.1 struggled in Scotland but a good Sunday performance secured T16 at two-over-par.
“Very up-and-down week. It was nice to finish with a good round on Sunday leading into next week but I think any time that you get to play in this kind of weather right before the British, it’s great prep and you know what you’re going to get,”said Korda.
The LPGA now head to Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Course in the UK for the AIG Women’s Open next week.
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