Maguire wins absorbing duel with Meadow

Slieve Russell’s Leona Maguire defeated Royal Portrush’s Stephanie Meadow by two holes to win her second Irish Women’s Close Amateur Championship at Co. Louth yesterday.

The two Curtis Cup stars had notched semi-final victories over Lucy Simpson (Massereene) and Carla Reynolds (Seapoint).

Maguire raced to a three hole advantage after starting par, birdie, birdie, birdie. A shell-shocked Meadow reacted with a birdie of her own at the short fifth and impressively squared the match with further birdies on six and nine.

Turning for home, Maguire restored her advantage at the long 11th, holing from 25 feet for yet another birdie. The next two holes were halved in regulation pars and then came that match-turning-moment at the fourteenth. In heavy rough off the tee and again with her approach, Maguire looked to lose her advantage as Stephanie arrowed her approach to fifteen feet above the hole. Maguire miraculously pitched to three feet and after Meadow e missed, Maguire holed for a highly unlikely par saving half. She won the short fifteenth in regulation and although Maguire won the next in par, Maguire closed out the tie at the last after Stephanie uncharacteristically lost her ball in heavy rough off the tee.

Maguire now joins an exclusive group of players with two Irish Close titles to her name.