June 6, 2022 By Brandon O’Neill
Leona Maguire earned a top 10 finish at the US Women’s Open Sunday landing a major payday in the process.
The Cavan golfer finished in a three-way tie for eight on two under alongside world number two Nelly Korda and Megan Khang — despite a final-round 74.
Maguire atook home $261,193, that’s $36,000 more than she earned for winning the LPGA Drive On Championship in February.
She was 11 shots behind eventual winner Minjee Lee of Australia, who secured the biggest prize in women’s golf.
Maguire was five under heading into Sunday’s conclusion at Pine Needles in North Carolina but three bogeys on the front nine saw her slip back.
Another bogey on 11 saw the two-time Olympian drop back to one under but she finished on a more positive note with a birdie on the 15th.
“It’s my first top 10 at a US Open, first cut I’ve made at a US Open, so that’s big progress for me, and really enjoyed the week, really enjoyed being back in North Carolina, so overall it’s been a great week,” she said.
“Didn’t get off to the best of starts but tried to stay really patient,” Maguire said about her final round.
Read More: Sensational Leona Maguire Becomes First Irish Golfer to Win on LPGA Tour
“I knew everybody was kind of struggling out there. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy out there. A lot of the pins were tucked and you couldn’t make a lot of birdies. It was just trying to limit the amount of mistakes really.
“I think it was a little firmer today and it was definitely set up a little bit tougher. There was definitely a little bit more breeze, pins were a little trickier today. Overall that’s reflected in the scores. You couldn’t get close to a lot of the pins today, so you just had to take your chances when you got them.”
Had a ball being back in North Carolina this week, @PineNeedlesGolfwad was a top class venue ? Really proud of my first top10 @uswomensopen ?? #onwardsandupwards pic.twitter.com/X3igkWgoiU
— Leona Maguire (@leona_maguire) June 6, 2022
At the top of the leaderboard, Minjee Lee claimed an emphatic four-stroke victory.
The 26-year-old from Perth made an impressive start to the final round with birdies at the first two holes and was never headed en route to an even-par 71 in demanding conditions that made it tough for her pursuers to make a charge.
Lee finished on 13 under-par, collecting $1.8 million from a record total purse of $10 million, while American Mina Harigae (72) claimed second place on nine-under.
