Leona Maguire is closing in on another victory with Duke

Bernie McGuire

15th October 2017

Leona Maguire is closing in on her ninth career victory and her second win this season at the Tar Heel Invitational.

Maguire holds a two stroke lead on the individual leaderboard with a nine-under-par, 135.
A bogey-free, six birdie effort for Maguire in round two moved her into the lead. She collected three birdies on the front nine and three on the back as Maguire’s was on fire Saturday. Maguire rolled in three birdies of over 10 feet (No. 4, No. 8 and No. 16). After a four-footer on No. 17 moved her to six-under for the day, Maguire found herself in the green side bunker on 18, but rolled in a 20-footer to save par and finish with her 26th career round in the 60s. She finished with 29 putts, 17 greens and she hit all 14 fairways.

It’s not just individual success Maguire is chasing as the Duke women’s golf team turned in the second-lowest 18-hole ledger in school history Saturday on its way to jumping out to 10-stroke lead in a talented field at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, which is being played at the 6,379-yard, par 72 Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Blue Devils shot an impressive 17-under-par, 271, Saturday and over 36 holes Duke owns a 22-under, 554, to take 10-stroke lead over Alabama (564) and South Carolina (565). Arkansas (567), NC State (572), North Carolina (572), Louisville (577), Ohio State (578), Wake Forest (578) and Michigan State (579) rounded out the top 10 teams.

Duke has turned in the top two 18-hole scores in school history this fall as the Blue Devils fired a 269 at the Jim West Challenge to open the season and a 271 Saturday in Chapel Hill.
Four different Blue Devils finished in the red Saturday led by senior Leona Maguire with a six-under, 66. Both junior Virginia Elena Carta and freshman Jaravee Boonchant each signed for four-under-par, 68, and sophomore Ana Belac fired a three-under, 69.

Leading Individual Scores
1 Leona Maguire (Duke) 69 66 135
2 Ainhoa Olarra (South Carolina) 70 67 137
T3 Maria Fassi (Arkansas) 73 65 138
T3 Anna Redding (Virginia) 70 68 138
T5 Emilia Migliaccio (Wake Forest) 69 70 139
T5 Sarah Burnham (Michigan State) 69 70 139
T5 Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest) 66 73 139
T5 Molly Skapik (Louisville) 66 73 139
T5 Virginia Elena Carta (Duke) 71 68 139