Dimmock completes injury comeback in Carton House gripper
Annabel Dimmock is presented with the KPMG Women's Irish Open trophy by KPMG Managing Partner Seamus Hand. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady
A third successive play-off was needed to decide the KPMG Women’s Irish Open on Sunday as Annabel Dimmock of England completed her comeback from a career-threatening hand injury to take the 2024 title.
On day when Ireland’s Leona Maguire finally regained some putting form for her best round of the week around Carton House’s O’Meara Course, Dimmock, whose mother Louise is from Youghal, Co. Cork, notched her second Ladies European Tour victory at the second play-off hole to outlast France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.
It was a gripping conclusion to another strong week for the renewed tournament, following on from two successful stagings at Dromoland Castle in 2022 and 2023. Strong crowds at the Co. Kildare resort have further demonstrated that the appetite for the event is healthy and would be healthier still if a different date in the LET schedule could found to attract a stronger field.
More than 9,000 were there on Sunday as Maguire shot a five-under-par 68 to finish in a tie for 15th before the leaders took centre stage. Saturday’s play had been watched by a record one-day crowd for the tournament since its renewal two years ago and the 12,051 spectators had been treated to excellent conditions and a new course record of 65 by Dimmock.
The 27-year-old finished in a tie for fifth at Dromoland Castle in the 2023 event, and her eight-under-par third-round score propelled her into a two-stroke lead from Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom, who had led after 36 holes. Dimmock had struggled for much of the season following surgery to remove a bone in her hand at the start of the year. That third-round 65 had left her feeling “bulletproof” as she duelled with Wikstrom, who lost a Dromoland play-off in 2022 and at 44 was still looking for her first victory in 342 starts.
It was shaping up to a be an intriguing duel only for Roussin-Bouchard to crash the party by equalling Dimmock’s course record to finish at 19 under par.
That left Dimmock and Wikstrom to determine the next course of action. The Finn missed a birdie chance from 20 feet to settle for an 18-under, third-place finish, then Dimmock missed her nine-foot birdie putt for outright victory to send the tournament into an Anglo-French play-off, replaying the par-four last. Dimmock’s only previous professional victory had come in Switzerland at the Jabra Open when she defeated the 18-year-old amateur Roussin-Brouchard.
She would inflict a similar fate on her rival at Carton House, holding her nerve at the second play-off hole as Roussin-Brouchard’s decision to take a 3-wood off the tee backfired when she pulled her opening shot left into heavy rough and then overshot the green with her third. It left Dimmock to two-putt for victory before embracing her father and caddie Chris.
I’m a bit shell-shocked at the minute, I’m not gonna lie,” she said. “I’m standing here and I think I’m in a dream. I’m just over the moon right now.
“I have lost in a play-off before and it is horrible, horrible feeling and you are trying not to push too much. You don’t really know what to do in a play-off. Shall I go for the birdie? Should I not?
“Pauline hit it a touch left, I thought just play it safe to the middle of the green and I got up there and I thought ‘oh my god I have got such a long putt here, this isn’t an easy putt’. I hit a good putt and playing safe paid off.”
Maguire had needed the opposite if she was to make unlikely push in contention from 11 shots back on overnight leader Dimmock and though the 29 putts she took in carding a closing 68 delivered four of her six birdies in the final six holes was her lowest total of the week, it was not enough to make a dent in the leaderboard.
Nevertheless, the Cavan golfer has generated some momentum just in time for Europe’s Solheim Cup joust with the USA in Virginia the week after next. Maguire is looking forward to seeing Coldplay at Croke Park on Monday night before she rests and recovers from the four-week stretch she has just completed.
“I played nice today. I felt like I was in very much control of my game. I didn’t do a hole lot wrong again, 16 greens in regulation again and just holed a couple on the back coming in. hit a few nice shots and like I said I felt like it was very fine margins this week, it was 10-under but it could have been 25-under very easily but nice to finish on some momentum.”
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