Leona Maguire made Nelly Korda work hard for her victory at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
The Cavan golfer was in contention right up to the final green of the final hole, as she eventually finished on 23-under, two shots behind the winner.
Maguire went into the final round three shots behind Korda, as she aimed to become the first Irish woman to win an LPGA Tour or Ladies European Tour event.
The 26-year-old landed six birdies - including three in her first four holes - in a bogey-free round, but it was not enough as Korda hit six birdies and an eagle to compensate for a round featuring three bogeys.
Leona Maguire earns $214,010 at Meijer LPGA Classic
.@leona_maguire gets one back on the 16th 👏
She's one stroke off the lead with two to play
Watch the finish now on CBS! pic.twitter.com/h1eaDOvN1g
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 20, 2021
"Nelly is one of the best players in the world and went toe to toe with her pretty much all of today," said Maguire.
"I knew it was going to be a battle.
"Really proud of how I fought this week, and same in San Francisco last week. Just didn't give myself quite enough in the end.
"I'm really starting to feel like I belong out here. Even though it's still my rookie year, I'm feeling more and more comfortable every week. My first time in the last group going into the final round, and really proud of how I managed that.
"You just never know how you're going to react until you're in that situation. Really proud of how I handled it."
Maguire earned $214,010 (€180,464) as runner-up. There's also the bonus that her form is rising heading into this week's PGA Championship.
"I feel like this week has been really good prep going into a major," said Maguire.
"Obviously going to be a bit of a different golf course.
"Probably a few little bit longer than this week, but really happy where my game is at. I hit a lot of fairways and greens this week and putted pretty nice as well.
"All in all, my game is in really good shape and I feel like this was really good preparation heading into a major week."
See Also: Phone Call From Harrington Helped Inspire Rahm To US Open Win
