Leona Maguire has made history as the first female Irish golfer to win the LPGA Tour.
The 27-year-old sealed her win with a final round of 67, as she finished on 18 under par and clinched a three-shot victory over her nearest challenger Lexi Thompson.
Speaking after her historic win, the Cavan native said: “It’s a bit surreal…it’s 17 years in the making. I’m just proud of how the whole week went, especially today.”
Dreamt about this moment for a long time and we’re only getting started 🇮🇪🏆 Couldn’t have done it without the help of my incredible team & family 💚 #canseecanbe pic.twitter.com/pYR4Hdfpdh
— Leona Maguire (@leona_maguire) February 6, 2022
“I have a lot of people to thank and it’s been a long road, but it’s probably more relief than anything else,” she added.
As for becoming the first Irishwoman to win on the LPGA Tour, Leona said: “It’s huge for Irish golf.”
“There was never an Irish player on the tour let alone a winner hopefully there are a lot of people at home watching tonight with big smiles on their faces and little girls watching hoping that they can hold a putt like that.”
The LPGA Tour’s first Irish champion! 🇮🇪
Leona Maguire wins the LPGA #DriveOn Championship! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/WgqXJFMUCh
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 5, 2022
At the age of 9, Leona gave up a promising swimming career to concentrate on golf, and she hasn’t looked back since.
The talented sports star turned professional in 2018, signing to One Direction star Niall Horan’s golf management company Modest! Golf along with her twin sister Lisa.
Leona represented Ireland in the Olympics in Rio back in 2016, and again in Tokyo last year.
The putt that sealed the deal. 🏆 @leona_maguire becomes a @ROLEX First-Time Winner at the LPGA #DriveOn Championship! pic.twitter.com/BfMcmYP5XX
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 5, 2022
In September 2021, Leona made a sensational debut at the Solheim Cup, helping Europe take home the trophy.
Check out our exclusive interview with Leona here.
