In-form Maguire saves the best for last in Thailand
Leona Maguire. Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
LEONA MAGUIRE is licking her lips ahead of this week's HSBC Women's World Championship after closing with a bogey-free 65 to finish tied sixth in the Honda LPGA Thailand.
The Co Cavan star saw her victory hopes dashed by a poor back nine in a third-round 72 at Siam Country Club.
But after heading into the final round 11 strokes behind Thai rookie Natthakritta Vontaveelap, she made seven birdies and kept a bogey off her card for the third time in four rounds.
The world number 11 finished on 16-under par, just six strokes behind American Lilia Vu, who shot a 64 to Vontaveelap's 71 to pip the local hope by a shot on 22-under and claim her first LPGA win.
"I played really solid, probably the best I played all week," Maguire said after her second top-10 in as many LPGA starts this year. "Nice to go bogey-free on a Sunday. Felt like I played really solid all week. Just six holes yesterday afternoon kind of cost me.
"I mean, to go three days bogey-free, I don't know if I've ever done that before, so hopefully, more of the same next week."
Maguire made five bogeys in seven holes from the 11th on Saturday before closing with a birdie to post a third-round 72 that took her out of the running.
But she learned to have more patience in the final round and after starting with back-to-back birdies, she never looked back.
"I feel like this course, it doesn't take much for it to go one way or the other," she said. "I hit a couple of not-even-bad shots yesterday afternoon and got really punished for them. Missed two fairways and was just screwed.
"I mean, maybe lost a little bit of patience yesterday afternoon, so tried to take patient today."
After winning in just her second start of the season last year, she's got high hopes for Singapore this week after following a disappointing tie for 40th in the Saudi Ladies International with three bogey-free rounds in Thailand.
"I think my short game was really tidy this week, so any time I did miss a green, I got it up and down or didn't give myself too much stress for par putts, which was nice," said the Ballyconnell star, who was tied ninth in the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Florida.
"So, yeah, just trying to fine-tune everything. Drove it decently well this week as well. Yeah, just keep fine-tuning everything, really."
Germanys Marcel Siem poses with the trophy after winning the European Tour of the Hero Indian Open golf tournament in Gurgaon on February 26, 2023. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
On the DP World Tour, Germany's Marcel Siem (42) claimed his first win for more than eight years when he negotiated thick rough at the par-five 18th, found the green in three two-putted for a four-under 68 to edge out compatriot Yannick Paul by a shot in the Hero Indian Open in New Delhi.
A World Cup winner with Bernhard Langer in 2006, he claimed his fourth tour win at the 2014 BMW Masters, lost his card in 2018, and won it back via the Challenge Tour in 2021 only to be forced back to Q-School in 2022.
"My goal was to be as calm as possible, but that lie was horrible on the last, so it got the heart rate going up for sure," said Siem. "I've worked really hard. It's crazy. A second kick-start for my career.
"I was gone - lost my card, Challenge Tour, Q School - thank you so much to my whole family and my team, my sponsors. I think there's more to come now.
"This means a lot because two years ago, I wasn't even sure if I could still compete on the DP World Tour, and now I'm a winner again, come on!"
The German trailed Yannik Paul by one ahead of the final round but a four under par round of 68 meant he finished one clear of his countryman on 14 under par, sparking scenes of jubilation on the 18th green at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The German pair were joined by Dutchman Joost Luiten in the last group and it proved to be a three-horse race throughout the final day in New Delhi.
Siem was the first to make his move with a birdie at the fourth to draw level with third round leader Paul, before back-to-back birdies immediately after the turn saw the 42-year-old steam into a two-stroke lead.
It was all-change at the 13th, with Siem dropping his only shot of the day while Paul picked up his second birdie and the duo were once again level.
Siem, who was forced to regain his playing privileges at Qualifying School in 2022, took a two-stroke advantage to the par five 18th after birdieing the 15th, but it was not all plain sailing.
He found a difficult lie with his lay-up but, despite a closing birdie for Paul, managed to escape with a par to end a 3,038-day wait for a fifth DP World Tour title, the last of which was at the 2014 BMW Masters.
“The win on the Challenge Tour was very special, very emotional with my daughter,” Siem said. “We just moved to Mauritius three weeks ago, I moved the family there. This means a lot. Two years ago, I wasn’t even sure if I could compete on the DP World Tour, now I’m a winner again. Come on.
“Winning a golf tournament, being back in the winner’s circle now, it means everything to me. It’s just unbelievable. It was tough out there with Yannik, he played unbelievable. No room for errors.
“Coming from top 20s straight to a win [is unexpected]. My goal this week was a top ten. I never really had the feeling that this was my week. I played with Joost in Thailand, he finished third there, Yannik came with a top two from last week so I thought I needed to do something special to win this golf tournament. They played great, so well done guys.
“That Qualifying School category is not a good category. You have a card but you never know when you’re going to get the starts. You have to play literally everything and now I can choose and pick where I want to go again, it makes life a lot easier. I can prepare properly on the golf course, it’s a life-changer. I just can’t believe it. It’s amazing.”
Paul’s bogey-free round of 70 meant he secured his second runner-up finish in as many weeks, with Luiten following his tie for third at the Thailand Classic with another third place at the Hero Indian Open on 12 under par.
Four strokes back in a share of fourth place were Spain’s Jorge Campillo and Japan’s Kazuki Higa, with last week’s winner Thorbjørn Olesen and another German, Alex Knappe, sharing sixth place on seven under par.
Shubhankar Sharma and Veer Ahlawat finished India’s national Open as the leading Indian players in a tie for 13th place on four under par.
On the Challenge Tour, Rosapenna's Ruaidhri McGee (32) made nine birdies in an eight-under 64 to jump from 33rd to tied third in the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship in South Africa.
He finished on 14-under par, just two strokes behind South Africa's Dylan Mostert, who carded a 67 to win by one stroke from countryman Jaco Prinsloo on 16-under-par.
