Leona Maguire Falls Short in LPGA Tour Match Play Semifinals
Leona Maguire has been a bright spark on the LPGA Tour this year, consistently performing at a high level and earning a reputation as one to watch in the future. However, her impressive run at the 2021 Blue Bay LPGA was halted in the semifinals by Japan’s Ayaka Furue, who booked her spot in the final with a 2 and 1 win.
Maguire got off to a strong start, winning four of the first seven holes to go two-up. However, Furue was resilient and was able to turn the match around without needing any flashy shots. She leveled the match by the 10th hole and was able to maintain her focus, playing steady golf to clinch her spot in the final.
Maguire acknowledged that she didn’t play her best golf on the day and that a few costly mistakes on the back nine proved to be her undoing. She also admitted that she didn’t put herself in positions to attack and create birdie opportunities.
“I kind of put myself in a few wrong spots that I couldn’t be aggressive and had to play safe,” she said. “I was trying to play for pars instead of giving myself birdie chances. I think that caught up to me on the back nine.”
Still, Maguire was able to take some positives from the tournament and is looking forward to the upcoming events on the LPGA Tour.
“There has been a lot of golf this week, a lot of good golf,” she said. “I’ll take the positives from it. I think this is one of the toughest courses we play all year, so I played some really, really good golf around a really good, tough golf course. So try and bring that momentum into next week.”
Furue, on the other hand, was full of confidence after her win and said that she was satisfied with her performance.
“I’m totally satisfied with my play today,” she said. “But honestly, luckily she has some mistakes so, yeah, I was kind of lucky today.”
Furue faced Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn in the final, with both players looking to claim their first LPGA Tour victory.
In conclusion, while Maguire was unable to book her spot in the final of the Blue Bay LPGA, she is still a rising star on the Tour and has shown that she is capable of playing at a high level. With more experience and a bit of luck, she could be a regular contender for titles in the future. As for Furue, she will be looking to continue her impressive form and claim her first LPGA Tour title.
