There was no maiden win but Leona Maguire can take solace from the way she battled back from a tough start and made a major move in her bid for an LPGA Tour card with her second top-five finish in a row at the wind-blown IOA Championship in California.

Leading by one stroke overnight at Morongo Golf Club in California in her bid for a maiden professional win on the Symetra Tour, she dropped six shots in her first eight holes as high winds buffeted Morongo Golf Club.

But she fought back well, eventually carding a five-over 77 to finish just two strokes behind winner Jillian Hollis, tied for fourth with Jean Reynolds on two-under-par. Scores

The Co Cavan star (24) earned $6,108 to move up to seventh in the Volvik Race for the Card standings with the top 10 guaranteed LPGA Tour cards and avoiding a trip to Q-School at the end of the season.

While she bogeyed the second, double-bogeyed the third and then dropped three shots in a row from the sixth in testing conditions, she refused to give up and even had an outside chance of forcing a playoff at the 18th.

After digging in with seven straight pars, she birdied the short 17th to go to the last just two strokes adrift of Hollis, who birdied the 15th, eagled the 16th and then made a five-footer at the last for a 74 to edge out Paraguay's Julieta Granda and Amy Lee by a stroke on four-under.

“The front nine was borderline unplayable with the wind and ridiculous pins,” Leona said. “You couldn't hold the greens downwind, even with a wedge. I played some really good golf this week, just couldn't catch a break yesterday.”

The Slieve Russell star needed a birdie at the last to match clubhouse leader Granada but missed and as Lee bogeyed to finish tied second, Hollis avoided more drama by holing a five-footer for a winning par.

“That 74 was a good score,” Hollis said after a day that saw just five players in the 65 strong field break par. “It was so hard playing golf today. 

"People are going to look at today’s final-round scores and say, ‘those scores aren’t very good.’ Today with the wind on this course, if you shot 75 to 78, that’s a good score.”

Maguire remains in California for this week's 54-hole Windsor Golf Classic which begins at Windsor Golf Club on Friday.

It will be a week off for Stephanie Meadow after she finished tied 55th after a closing 74 at the Kia Classic on Sunday and failed to qualify for this week's ANA Inspiration, the opening major of the season. Scores

Meadow finished on one-under par as Japan's Nasa Hataoka shot 67 to win by three shots from Danielle Kang, Spain's Azahara Muñoz and Korean trio Jin Young Ko,  Sung Hyun Park and Inbee Park on 18-under.