The writing was on the wall for some time but in golf it’s never over until the last ball is struck. Well it’s now confirmed that Leona Maguire will be joining Stephanie Meadow on the LPGA Tour next season following her 7th place finish on the Race for the Card standings at the end of the Symetra Tour Championship.
Following one of the most storied collegiate careers in NCAA history, Leona Maguire made her debut on the Symetra Tour at the 2018 Forsyth Classic presented by Decatur Park District and tied for third. Over 28 starts since then, she played the weekend 23 times. That stretch includes 11 consecutive cuts made to open 2019, as well as wins in the Windsor Golf Classic and Symetra Classic.
In 2019, Maguire also posted six top five finishes and eight top 15 placements on the Symetra Tour and secured her 7th place in the Volvik Race for the Card standings with a T33 place finish at the Symetra Tour Championship.
“It means a lot,” commented Maguire. “I suppose it has been about a year-and-a-half in the works. It was nice to get those two wins early in the year, which set me up pretty nicely. I didn’t really play my best golf towards the end of the season, but a big week last week helped a lot coming into this week. It was a little close this week. The first two days the leaderboard got a bit bunched, but it was nice to be able to finish it off with a good round today. I’m excited for next year.”
Maguire owns the all-time record for weeks (135) at No. 1 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, was a four-time WGCA First Team All-American was also a four-time All-ACC selection, three-time ACC Player of the Year, two-time WGCA and ANNIKA National Player of the Year, and two-time runner-up at the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship for Duke University. Furthermore, Maguire competed in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games with a tied for 21st showing to tie for low amateur.
FINAL VOLVIK RACE FOR THE CARD TOP-10
Following the 23rd and final tournament of the 2019 Symetra Tour season, the Volvik Race for the Card is official, and below is a look at the 10 individuals that secured full LPGA membership for next year with their finish in the top-10.
1. Perrine Delacour (Paris, France) – $125,042
2. Patty Tavatanakit (Bangkok, Thailand) – $117,518
3. Jenny Coleman (Rolling Hills Estates, California) – $104,840
4. Ssu-Chia Cheng (Taipei, Chinese Taipei) – $99,232
5. Jillian Hollis (Rocky River, Ohio) – $98,044
6. Julieta Granada (Asuncion, Paraguay) – $94,343
7. Leona Maguire (County Cavan, Ireland) – $92,517
8. Robynn Ree (Redondo Beach, California) – $90,518
9. Esther Lee (Los Alamitos, California) – $87,360
10. Mind Muangkhumsakul (Banphai, Thailand) – $81,046
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The Player of the Year honours went to Perrine Delacour who, by finishing tied for 14th in the Symetra Tour Championship cashed $3,861 and bagged the number 1 spot. The result was Delacour’s 12th top-15 in 20 starts and helped end her season at $125,042 total earnings. Two wins highlighted the outstanding campaign for the 25-year-old, as she claimed her first pro title at the Four Winds Invitational and then found the winner’s circle in the Prasco Charity Championship.
“I am really happy about earning the Player of the Year title,” Delacour said. “Especially after last year in Q-Series and missing out on my card there, I learned a lot about myself this season and built confidence for when I’m back on the LPGA Tour. Patty [Tavatanakit] also had a great rookie campaign and made me work until the very last putt on No. 18 today. Now I can celebrate and start planning for 2020.”
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