It wasn’t the Sunday that Leona Maguire wanted as she returned a closing round of 76 (+4) on the final day of the Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes.
Maguire had a run bogeys on 1, 3, 5 and 8 before steadying the ship and notching two birdies on 12 and 14, but then she closed with two more bogeys on 16 and 18 for her four over par tally on the day.
The result left her well down the field in in T59 place, having climbed into a top-20 position following her two-under par second round. But with only three Volvik Race for the Card qualifying events left in the season, Maguire has maintained her 5th placed position which would see her easily qualify for one of the LPGA cards on offer.
At the head of proceedings, it took an extra two playoff holes so sort the eventual tournament winner but with a par on the second extra hole Alejandra Llaneza (Mexico City, Mexico) took victory in the sixth annual Garden City Charity Classic
The win is the second for Llaneza on the Symetra Tour, following her first title came in Greenwood, S.C. at the 2015 Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic.
“It is very special, definitely took a lot of effort and focus to get it done,” said Llaneza, who concluded regulation at 10-under par overall. “Everyone played great and I’m very thankful. I took a little from that previous win, but mostly have been working on getting back to how I played when younger and that aggressive mentality just having fun.”
After missing the cut in eight of her last nine starts before venturing to Finney County for the Garden City Charity Classic, Llaneza settled into a groove to secure the wire-to-wire accomplishment. It now provides a fresh outlook on what the rest of the season could hold.
“That’s one of the good things about golf, it gives you a chance to start over every week,” Llaneza said. “I knew the need for a strong finish over the last four events. One of the days on the range, I found a good feeling and told myself I would go with it. I’m happy it paid off and that I was able to stay calm.”
VOLVIK RACE FOR THE CARD STANDINGS
Following the 20th tournament of the 2019 Symetra Tour season, the Volvik Race for the Card welcomes a fresh top-10.
The victory and $26,250 winner’s checque move Llaneza up 54 spots to No. 29 with $37,059 earned through eighteen total starts this season. Here is a look at the current top-10 heading into the third annual Guardian Championship at the Senator Course of Capitol Hill on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Prattville, Ala. from September 20-22:
1. Perrine Delacour (Paris, France) – $113,883
2. Patty Tavatanakit (Bangkok, Thailand) – $110,487
3. Jillian Hollis (Rocky River, Ohio) – $96,102
4. Ssu-Chia Cheng (Taipei, Chinese Taipei) – $94,093
5. Leona Maguire (County Cavan, Ireland) – $84,757
6. Robynn Ree (Redondo Beach, California) – $82,323
7. Julieta Granada (Asuncion, Paraguay) – $81,866
8. Esther Lee (Los Alamitos, California) – $78,938
9. Jenny Coleman (Rolling Hills Estates, California) – $66,851
10. Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, Republic of Korea) – $65,831
Leave a comment