LEONA MAGUIRE WINS THE 114^TH LADIES’ BRITISH OPEN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

R and A News Release and R and A picture

Pyle and Kenfig, South

Wales: Leona Maguire won The 114^th Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship at Pyle and Kenfig this afternoon, defeating Spain’s Ainhoa Olarra 3 and 2 in the 18-hole final to seal the biggest amateur win of her career. 

Maguire will now take her place in US Women’s Open next month and the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns  in August, when she will aim to win the Smyth Salver as the low amateur for a second time after doing so at Woburn last year.

Maguire, who is number one in the women’s WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING™, becomes the first Irishwoman to win the championship since Stephanie Meadow defeated Spain’s Rocio Sanchez Lobato 4 and 3 at Carnoustie in 2012.

The 22-year-old from County Cavan and a third-year student at Duke University, North Carolina, made a flying start after dispatching a birdie opportunity on the 1^st but the match returned to all-square on the following hole, Olarra, pictured on right,  saving par while Maguire struggled with a bogey.

Maguire found herself behind, remarkably for the first time in the championship’s entire match-play stage, after Olarra, who won the Spanish Amateur Championship in 2013, picked up a birdie on the 3^rd hole to move one up.

The South Carolina University scholar saw her lead pulled back immediately when Maguire fought back with a birdie to win the 4^th hole and was powerless to stop the Great Britain and Ireland international regaining control of the contest on the 5^th hole after she rolled in a birdie on the par-5 to take a one hole advantage.

Maguire, who recently won the Annika Award for the second time in her career, strengthened her position even further after winning the 7^th and 9^th holes to move three up but Olarra reduced the deficit at the 10^th.

Nevertheless, the three-hole gap was restored on the 11^th when the two-time McCormack Medal winner notched up her fifth birdie of the round and Leona remained steady with a par on the 12^th to go four up after her Spanish opponent could only manage a bogey.

Olarra refused to throw in the towel and the youngster from San Sebastian halted Maguire’s momentum by winning two of the next three holes, producing a vital birdie on the 15^th.

The match was decided on the following hole, however. Olarra had struggled with her putting throughout the match and a bogey on the 16^th left Maguire with a par putt to win the championship which she duly rolled in for a 3 and 2 victory.

Maguire won the birdie count in the final with five to her opponent's two.

In the first of this morning’s semi-finals, Maguire defeated Finland’s Anna Backman 3 and 2 to secure her passage to the final. Leona had six birdies in this match.

Olarra closed out her match with Norway’s Stina Resen on the par-3 15^th, rolling in a birdie putt to seal a 4 and 3 win.

+It was not Leona's first "British" title success. Six years ago, at Royal Ashdown Forest, she won the British women's open amateur stroke-play title.

Key Quotes:

Leona Maguire

“It’s been a fantastic week and I’ve played some really great golf. It’s a real highlight of my career to have won the championship. It’s one of the biggest amateur events and one that I felt I hadn’t given as good a go as I could have done in the past few years. It’s great to get my name on the trophy alongside some of the biggest names.

“Ainhoa played really great golf and she pushed me all the way to the end. I knew I was going to have to play well. She threw all the birdies she could at me and I was glad I was able to rise to it.”

Ainhoa Olarra

“I’m a bit frustrated as I don’t think I played my best. I didn’t play as well as I did this morning and I was struggling with my putting this afternoon. I made a few bogeys and it cost me.

“Leona is a great player and I have played against her in the United States. She has won many college events over there and I am sure she will win many more.”

RESULTS (18 hole matches)

SEMI-FINALS - Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell GC, Ireland) bt Anna Backman (Finland) 4 and 2; Ainhoa Olarra (Spain) bt Stina Resen (Norway) 4 and 3.

FINAL - Maguire bt Olarra 3 and 2.