Irish eyes smiling for Dimmock, Maguire and Curtis Cup heroines
Annabel Dimmock of England with her trophy. Credit: Tristan Jones / LET
Annabel Dimmock completed a dream comeback from a career-threatening injury to end her five-year drought and claim a “home” win after a playoff in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House.
On a memorable day for Irish women’s golf, when Sara Byrne, Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan helped Great Britain and Ireland to their first Curtis Cup win since 2016 and Leona Maguire finished with a flourish to head to next week’s Solheim Cup with momentum, Dimmock (27) beat French star Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (24) with a par on the second extra hole.
“I’m a bit shell-shocked at the minute, I’m not gonna lie,” said Dimmock, whose mother hails from Youghal. “I’m standing here and I think I’m in a dream. I’m just over the moon right now.”
After firing a course record, eight-under 65 to take a two-shot lead into the final round, Dimmock closed with gutsy 70 to draw level with Roussin-Bouchard, who shot a brilliant 65 of her own to set the target at 19-under.
Both parred the 390-yard 18th in sudden death before Roussin-Bouchard pulled her three wood into heavy rough the second time around and made bogey.
“This is brilliant to do it in Ireland,” said Dimmock, who recently released a documentary about her injury battle and recovery from thumb surgery.
“I worked really hard to get myself back, and I am proud of myself. There's a lot that goes into getting me back fit. There's a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.”
She added: “The Irish people are so good to me. Obviously, they know that I'm half-Irish, and it generally feels like a home win. I can't describe how special it feels.”
As for Maguire, she’s upbeat about next week’s Solheim Cup and the future of Irish women’s golf after closing with her best round of the week on the O’Meara Course.
After making birdie at four of her last six holes in a five-under 68 to finish joint 15th on 10-under, she hopes to help Europe lift the Solheim Cup for the fourth time in a row next week.
“I felt like it was very fine margins this week,” she said. “It was 10-under, but it could have been 25-under very easily. But nice to finish on some momentum.
“I felt like my game’s been in pretty good shape all week, and it’s got a little bit better every day. It’s nice coming off a very draining four-week stretch feeling like my game is better now than when I started those four weeks.
“Just a little bit of polishing up this week, a lot of rest, a lot of recovery and looking forward to heading over to DC the week after next.”
A return to Carton House, which attracted 36,000 fans over the five days, looks likely next year. However, a date change to late June or early July is also likely to avoid a clash with September’s men’s Irish Open at The K Club.
“I think you see the progress it has made in the last few years,” Maguire said of the event and her hopes of getting a world-class field in the future. “It is getting bigger and bigger every year.”
Edmondstown amateur Anna Abom (18) shot 79 to finish 65th on eight-over and claim the low amateur trophy.
But Maguire also had words of encouragement for Solheim Cup star Byrne, who turns professional at this week’s Rose Ladies Open on the LET Access Tour after going unbeaten in GB&I’s thrilling 10½-9½ Curtis Cup win over the USA at Sunningdale.
While Donegan and Coulter lost their singles, the Douglas star made an eagle and six birdies in a 3&2 win over world number seven Catherine Park as two-time Solheim Cup-winning captain Catriona Matthew led the home side to their first win since 2016 at Dún Laoghaire.
“They were obviously in very capable hands with Beanie (Matthew) this week, they couldn’t possibly have asked for a better captain to steer them back in the right direction,” Maguire said.
As for her advice for Byrne, who halved three and won two of her five matches, she said: “Surround yourself with good people, I think. Hopefully, she has a good team around her.”
GB&I were two points ahead overnight but while the USA were up in six of the eight singles and one stage, wins for Byrne, Patience Rhodes and Lorna McClymont and a crucial half from Mimi Rhodes against Melanie Green secured a famous win.
“Oh, my God, it's insane,” Byrne said. “This is a week of dreams. Nine-year-old me wouldn't be able to believe this moment, that's for sure. I think I'll start to cry a little bit later, but not as of right now. But no, what a way to go out. I couldn't ask for a better way.”
At the Belfry, Denmark’s Niklas Nørgaard closed with a level par 72 to to clinch his maiden DP World Tour title by two shots at the Betfred British Masters, two shots clear of Thriston Lawrence.
In Poland, Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy (31) leapt 29 places to 26th in the race for 20 DP World Tour cards when he finished second, three behind Spain’s Angel Ayora, in the Rosa Challenge Tour.
