It's Lisa's turn to take Maguire spotlight

IRISH WOMEN’S CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP: THE MAGUIRE twins’ domination of women’s amateur golf continued apace yesterday when Lisa …

IRISH WOMEN'S CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP:THE MAGUIRE twins' domination of women's amateur golf continued apace yesterday when Lisa defeated Mary Dowling (New Ross) 5 and 4 in a thrilling final of the Lancôme Irish Women's Close at Fota Island, thereby succeeding her sister, Leona, as champion. It continues the sisters relentless annexing of a succession of titles in Ireland, Scotland and France this season.

The 14-year-old Lisa produced a wonderful performance highlighted by birdies on the second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth holes to be a staggering six under par at that point. In fairness to Dowling she managed to register birdies at the eight and ninth but still turned four down.

The only blemish on Maguire’s card came at the 11th hole, where she missed from six feet for par. Pars were sufficient to see her close out the match on the 14th green, thereby claiming the championship for the first time, 12 months after her sister had achieved the feat.

Dowling wouldn’t have envisaged just what she was about to encounter after halving the par-five, first hole in regulation figures. Maguire almost holed a chip for eagle at the second but a birdie sufficed to claim the hole and the initial impetus.

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The young Cavan girl won the next when hitting her tee shot to eight feet at the par three, holing for birdie while Dowling could not replicate that achievement having earlier watched her putt slip by from 15 feet. At the par-five fourth Maguire dipped under the card once again with a chip-and-putt birdie. Her opponent showed her mettle at the next when holing from five feet for a second half in the opening five holes.

At three down Dowling was already under pressure but she must have suspected it wasn’t going to be her day at the fifth when after both players missed the green, the New Ross golfer chipped dead only to see Maguire hole for yet another birdie; a 30-foot putt from the apron. The eighth offered a classic example of matchplay golf with Dowling in closer on the green but her opponent holed from 12 feet for birdie while she missed from eight. Maguire’s golf was little short of sensational and at the par-three eighth, she holed from 25 feet but Dowling bravely followed her in from 15 feet for a half.

Dowling won the ninth with a second straight birdie but she turned four down to her young opponent who was six under the card at that point and had taken just 11 putts on the front nine. The Wexford girl lost the 10th after making a bogey when failing to get up and down from a green side bunker but she promptly reclaimed lost ground when Maguire made her only mistake at the 11th. Another bogey on the 13th by virtue of three-putting saw Dowling go five down and the match finished on the next green when the hole was halved in regulation figures.

It allows Lisa an opportunity to enjoy the bragging rights at the family table for a while as her sister had already won the Scottish Amateur Championship (Lisa finished third), the youngest champion in the tournament’s history and the French Under-21 Championship defeating Klara Spilkova of the Czech Republic at the 36th hole in the match-play final.

Leona had lost to Bangor’s Victoria Bradshaw in the second round but was on hand to watch her twin triumph in some style. Although the Curtis Cup is not until next year it would be a brave pundit who would back against the two young Slieve Russell golfers making the team.