First major top-20 for Leona in ANA; Coetzee wins in Portugal
Leona Maguire
Leona Maguire recorded her career-best major championship performance when she tied for 18th behind playoff winner Mirim Lee in the ANA Inspiration in California.
After following rounds of 73 and 72 with a third-round 68 to go into the final round nine strokes behind Canada’s Brooke Henderson and American Nelly Korda, the Slieve Russell star (25) closed with a bogey-free 69 to finish on six-under-par on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills.
It was just her fourth professional start in a major but her three-under-par final round secured her best major finish since she tied for 34th in the Evian Championship as a 19-year old amateur in 2015.
Stephanie Meadow closed with a 76 to finish joint 51st on two-over while amateur Olivia Mehaffey tied for 74th on 13-over after a 76 as Mirim Lee snatched the title from Korda and Henderson with a birdie at the first extra hole.
Lee chipped for birdies at the sixth and 16th to get to within a shot of the leading pair on 14-under but after a bogey at the 17th appeared to scupper her chances, he chipped in again for eagle at the par-five 18th for a 67 to join Korda on 15-under.
ARE YOU KIDDING?! 💥
— LPGA (@LPGA) September 13, 2020
Mirim Lee chips in for eagle on the 18th to take a share of the lead at 15-under‼️@GolfChannel | @ANAinspiration pic.twitter.com/Lss2cPNOBK
The American had driven the ball beautifully all day but she missed the 18th fairway and could only make par, carding a 69 as Henderson (69) used the controversial wall at behind the green to get a drop from where she got up and down for birdie to make it a three-way playoff.
Korda again missed the 18th fairway in the playoff and had to settle for five after a weak third left her an 18 footer that never threatened the hole.
But while Henderson and 29-year old Lee both cleared the water short of the green in two, the Canadian knocked her chip from the front of the green eight feet past and missed the return as Lee chipped just inside six feet from over the back and made the putt to win.
“I can't really believe it right now,” said Lee, who earned her first major title and her first victory since the 2017 Kia Classic. “To be honest, I feel like I must be a little crazy for winning and for having won this, and I think I'll be able to feel it once I meet my family and reunite with them.”
Playing in the penultimate group, Lee stepped to the 18th tee two strokes behind Korda after a bogey at No. 17. After reaching the green in two, Lee chipped in from off the back of the green to tie for the lead.
“It was a bit disappointing having the bogey on 17, so my plan for 18 was just to have a birdie and do what I have to do to keep my head up,” said Lee. “When the shot went in, I think I was really surprised. It must have been a bit of luck that helped me.”
Playing together in the final group, Korda made par and Henderson birdied 18 to force the three-way playoff. On the first hole of sudden death, Henderson and Lee reached the green in two, but Korda’s tee shot found the left rough and she was forced to lay up. Henderson’s birdie putt just squeaked by the hole and Korda’s attempt came up well short. Lee’s birdie putt found the centre of the hole, giving her the title.
“I played solid today. Had a couple of bogeys kind of starting on the back nine, but I kept my calm,” said Korda, who became the fourth player to lead after the first three rounds but not take the title. “Didn't hit a really good shot on 18 off the tee both times, so that's what kind of got me in trouble there.”
Rose Zhang earned low-amateur honours by finishing tied for 11th at -8. Her 280 is the lowest 72-hole score by an amateur in ANA inspiration history, besting the 281 shot by Caroline Keggi in 1988 and Michelle Wie in 2004.
BROOKE HENDERSON BOUNCES BACK IN MAJOR WAY
After missing the cut at the AIG Women’s Open three weeks ago (the first missed cut of her career in a major championship), nine-time LPGA Tour winner Brooke Henderson bounced back in a big way with a tie for second at the ANA Inspiration.
Henderson recorded five final-round birdies around the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club en route to a 3-under 69. Even a double-bogey at the par-4 13th didn’t slow Henderson, who forced a three-way sudden-death playoff with a birdie on the 72nd hole.
“I definitely played really well this week, which is a really nice feeling and it gives me confidence moving forward,” Henderson said after par on the first playoff hole. “Mirim [Lee] played great today and so did Nelly [Korda]. It was fun. You are playing against the best in the world out there.
“It was tough to lose that way. I felt like I missed a lot of putts, especially the final round where I feel like maybe it could have been a different story. Mirim and Nelly played great and I fought my way around, so I am happy.”
NELLY KORDA TAKING POSITIVES FROM MAJOR WEEKEND EXPERIENCE
After leading the three previous rounds of the ANA Inspiration, Nelly Korda came just short of her first career major title after losing in a three-way playoff with Brooke Henderson to Mirim Lee. She had traded the lead with Henderson most of the day, but Korda was up two strokes after a birdie on 14. As she walked up the 18 green, she had no clue Lee had tied her after an eagle chip on her 72nd hole.
“No idea, no,” said Korda. “She must have played amazing golf coming in, so props to her.”
Korda said she felt she played solid today, and is proud of keeping calm after overcoming three bogeys on Nos. 8, 10 and 12. She said her tee shot on 18 “kind of got me in trouble,” but no matter what was happy to have her family to support her throughout the final round with parents Petr and Regina, and older sister and five-time LPGA Tour winner Jessica, all walking along outside the ropes.
“I'm just going to take positives from this week, know my game is trending upward,” said Korda, who will appear in next week’s Cambia Portland Classic. “I'm just going to continue working hard and see where that takes me.”
South Africa’s George Coetzee. Picture: Getty Images
The golf world now turns its attention to this week’s US Open at Winged Foot and England’s Tommy Fleetwood will arrive in New York with a spring in his step after a brilliant closing 64 in the Portugal Masters at Vilamoura.
The world No 16 made seven birdies in an immaculate final round at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course to finish tied for third with Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren, just three strokes behind South Africa’s George Coetzee.
“I'm happy with how I played and nice to put yourself in contention after hitting shots like 17 and 18 coming down the stretch, the way I have hit it,” said Fleetwood, who was fourth in the US Open in 2017 and runner-up two years ago.
“I was nowhere near, it for a few weeks there in America and then came home. I did some really good practice and I wanted to play this week because at the end of the day, I was working on things that I know were right, I had simple thoughts this week, but you have to hit shots like 17 and that is the only time you are going to find out how it's doing.”
Coetzee (34) secured his fifth European Tour title, and his first on European soil, by closing with a five-under 66 to triumph for the second week in a row on 16-under par.
After winning on the Sunshine Tour last week, he made birdies at the 16th and 17th to move two shots clear of England’s Laurie Canter on 16-under before closing with a par to move back into the world’s top 100.
Coetzee picked up a cheque for €156,825 while Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell (€3,390) birdied the last two holes to shoot 70 and tie for 50th on two-under.
