LEONA MAGUIRE LEAVES THEM STANDING OVER LAST TWO ROUNDS

Leading prizewinners at the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship. Left to right: Charley Hull and Lauren Taylor (England's winning team), new champion Leona Maguire, runner-up Laurence Herman, third place Meghan MacLaren and fourth Amy Boulden. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

16-YEAR-OLD TWIN BELIEVED TO BE YOUNGEST WINNER OF BRITISH WOMEN'S OPEN STROKE-PLAY 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Leona Maguire, one of the talented 16-year-old twins from the Slieve Russell club in Ireland, scored another remarkable victory today in the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club, Sussex .
It was a come-from-behind win worthy of her status as No 5 in the Women’s World Amateur Rankings.
Two shots off the pace and tied for third place at the halfway stage following a pair of 75s, Leona surged past the pacemakers into a five-stroke lead with a brilliant round of three-under-par 69 in the morning third round.
It was the first sub-par round of the championship over a woodland course that played like a links venue – and, lo and behold, she pulled another 69 out of the hat, so to speak, in the afternoon sunshine for a final total of level par 288.
What a performance! From six over par to level par in 36 holes - and over a course which flummoxed the best of them until there was a notable improvement in the scoring towards the end of the last round.
Leona won by six shots from Belgium’s 21-year-old Laurence Herman who followed her example by signing off with 69 for 294.
Earlier this season Leona won the Portuguese women’s open amateur title by 15 shots.
Later, in June, she won the Irish women’s open amateur stroke-play championship by eight shots.
This is the first “British” title that Leona has won but she is sure to win many more before she graduates to the tour professional ranks, as she seems certain to do …. but not for five or six years yet!
Already the US university golf coaches are making offers for Leona and Lisa to join their rosters about a year from now. It will be interesting to see what the Maguire parents, both teachers, decide for their twins' future education.
At 16 Leona is believed to be the youngest ever winner of the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship. She also won the tournament's Under-18s trophy and the trophy for the best single round of the championship, pipping Laurence Herman, the other scorer of a 69, by the better last six holes. Herman, incidentally, won the Under-23s trophy on her debut in the championship. She's been a student at Ohio State University for the past four years which, she says, delayed her appearance until thisyear.
“Stroke-play is definitely my strength and it was my putting that gave me two 69s on the final day here,” said Leona.
Was it not really as difficult at course as many made it out to be, then?
“If I had putted as well over the first two rounds as I did today, I might have had another two 69s.”
Leona doesn't believe she is by any means at her peak yet.
"There's a lot I could improve on. Hit it longer off the tee, for one ... " she said.
The mind boggles at just how good a player Leona could be by the end of her teens. And though twin Lisa missed the cut in this one, you can bet your boots she will be be motivated by sibling rivalry to produce another performance like her capture of the European women's individual amateur crown.
Seventeen-year-old Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough), daughter of European Tour director David MacLaren, turned in another very promising display to finish third on 286.
She made her debut for the winning England team in the recent Girls Home Internationals at Gullane and to finish third in this company is another big step up the ladder.
Yet another teenager, GB and I international Amy Boulden from Llandudno, runner-up to winner Pamela Pretswell at Tenby last year, finished fourth on 297.
Pretswell, herself, made a gallant defence. She was in a group of five players who finished joint fifth on 301.
Sarah Attwood (Gog Magog) won the Angela Uzielli Trophy for the best perfomrnace by an Over-23 year old player.
Curtis Cup player Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), who had not been feeling well, was physically sick on the course during the third round. She retired from the championship after she had completed her morning round in a respectable score.
Next year's British open amateur stroke-play will be played at Shandon Park Golf Club in Northern Ireland.

LEONA MAGUIRE TO MISS WOMEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS
Leona Maguire will be missing from the Ireland team for the Women's Home Intenationals at Hillside, Lancashire early next month.
She will be playing in a Ladies European Tour event in Austria at the time, a prize trip she won in another tournament. Such a pity - especially for Ireland's chances of winning the title - that their new British champion won't be there to lead from the front at Hillside.
The Ireland team will be:
Louise Coffey (Malone), Karen Delaney (Carlow), Paula Grant (Lisburn), Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell), Emma O'Driscoll (Ballybunion), Gillian O'Leary (Cork), Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush), Chloe Ryan (Castletroy).
Reserves - Lucy Simpson (Massereene), Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor), Sarah Cunningham (Ennis).
Team captain - Claire Robinson. Coach - Gillian Burrell. Manager - Dr Christine Crockett.

+What a sweet gesture in more ways than one by former British champion Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale). Traditionally, the Ladies Golf Union provide a big bowl of sweets on the table in the Recorders' Office, where the players go to check their cards and hand them over.
Kelly was concerned that by the time the players who had gone out last came in with their scorecards, the sweet bowl would be empty. So she went and bought, completely off her own bat, a pound or two of sweets to make sure that the bowl would be topped up again for the late finishers.
Kelly Tidy - you are all heart!

The CSS for Royal Ashdown Forest during the championship was 76-77-76-76 against a par of 72.