Alexa Pano gave herself a heck of a 19th birthday present, rallying on Sunday to win her first LPGA title at the ISPS Handa World Invitational. Octavio Passos

It might not be remembered by general golf fans the way Lilia Vu winning a second major in 2023 was last week at the AIG Women’s Open. But victory at the ISPS Handa World Invitational, a co-sanctioned event between the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, on her 19th birthday was no less a big deal for Alexa Pano.

The Florida native arrived in Northern Ireland this week with no clubs and no clothes (got to love airline travel) and just one top-20 finishes so far in 11 starts as a rookie on the LPGA Tour. And when Pano shot a disappointing six-over 76 in Thursday’s opening round at Galgorm Castle, it looked like this wouldn’t be her week either. But the former junior star who first gained notoriety as a nine-year-old in the documentary “The Short Game” shone over the last 54 holes, shooting rounds of 70-69-66, including birdies on her final two holes, to get to eight-under and find herself in a three-way playoff with England’s Gabriella Cowley and Germany’s Esther Henseleit. Then with a birdie on the third playoff hole, Pano grabbed the win, joining Dan Brown, who claimed DP World Tour title being run in the concurrent men’s event on the course.

Pano was fortunate to get to the third playoff hole. After missing the fairway on the par 5, she scrambled to make a par, then watched Cowley, the overnight leader, miss a four-foot birdie try that would have given her the victory.

Pano is the second 19-year-old to win an LPGA this season, joining Rose Zhang, and the eighth first-time LPGA winner. With the victory, she grabbed the first-place prize money payout of $225,000 from the overall purse of $1.5 million (she had only made $33,548 in her LPGA career before the win). Pano also jumped to 38th in the Race to the CME Globe Tour Championship points standings from 132nd. Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer who made the cut at Galgorm Castle in Northern Ireland.

1: Alexa Pano, -8, $225,000
T-2: Esther Henseleit, -8, $122,794
T-2: Gabriella Cowley, -8, $122,794
4: Ryann O’Toole, -7, $79,875
5: Olivia Cowan, -6, $64,291
T-6: Azahara Munoz, -5, $48,315
T-6: Diksha Dagar, -5, $48,315
8: Peiyun Chien, -4, $38,575
9: Kim Metraux, -3, $34,678
T10: Wichanee Meechai, -2, $29,352
T-10: Noora Komulainen, -2, $29,352
T-10: Chloe Williams, -2, $29,352
T-13: Emma Spitz, -1, $24,053
T-13: Dani Holmqvist, -1, $24,053
T-13: Jasmine Suwannapura, -1, $24,053
T-16: Dewi Weber, E, $18,769
T-16: Sophie Witt, E, $18,769
T-16: Leona Maguire, E, $18,769
T16: Georgia Hall, E, $18,769
T16: Casandra Alexander, E, $18,769
T16: Soo Bin Joo, E, $18,769
T-16: Albane Valenzuela, E, $18,769
T-23: Nastasia Nadaud, +1, $15,177
T-23: Ana Pelaez Trivino, +1, $15,177
T-23: Arpichaya Yubol, +1, $15,177
T-23: Marissa Steen, +1, $15,177
T-27: Emily Kristine Pedersen, +2, $13,247
T-27: Muni He, +2, $13,247
T-27: Stephanie Meadow, +2, $13,247
T-30: Hannah Burke, +3, $11,533
T-30: Ruixin Liu, +3, $11,533
T-30: Trichat Cheenglab, +3, $11,533
T-30: Bronte Law, +3, $11,533
T-34: Weiwei Zhang, +4, $9,975
T-34: Karis Davidson, +4, $9,975
T-34: Su Oh, +4, $9,975
37: Meghan MacLaren, +6, $9,196
38: Hayley Davis, +7, $8,806
Alice Hewson, +5, $7,949
Yuna Nishimura, +5, $7,949
Anne-Charlotte Mora, +5, $7,949
Jennifer Chang, +5, $7,949
Sarah Kemp, +6, $6,639
Louise Ridderstrom, +6, $6,639
Mariajo Uribe, +6, $6,639
Nicole Broch Estrup, +6, $6,639
Cara Gainer, +6, $6,639
Lauren Hartlage, +7, $5,416
Gina Kim, +7, $5,416
Ilhee Lee, +7, $5,416
Daniela Darquea, +7, $5,416
Lily May Humphreys, +7, $5,416
Ellinor Sudow, +7, $5,416
Aline Krauter, +8, $4,598
Leonie Harm, +8, $4,598
Alessandra Fanali, +8, $4,598
Chanettee Wannasaen, +8, $4,598
Sarah Jane Smith, +9, $4,208
Linnea Johansson, +10, $3,975:
Riley Rennell, +10, $3,975
Sara Kjellker, +12, $3,741
Madelene Stavnar, +12, $3,741
Allison Emrey, +12, $3,741

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Alexa Pano had a landmark Sunday as she turned the ripe old age of 19. Oh, and she also won the ISPS Handa World Invitational in a dramatic playoff.

It was a birthday to remember for Alexa Pano as she won the ISPS Handa World Invitational in a dramatic playoff for her maiden win on the LPGA and Ladies European  tours.

A final-round 66 hauled her into a playoff with German Esther Henseleit and England’s Gabriella Cowley on eight-under, and eventually came out on top on the third extra hole with an impressive birdie.

“I’ve kind of been saying that I really wanted to win this event because it’s on my birthday,” said the LPGA Tour rookie. “My best friend can contest it’s been for like two months. It feels so surreal that it’s happened. It’s been a little bit crazy because I didn’t have my clothes and clubs earlier in the week, but it’s all worth it.

“It just feels so surreal right now to have my dad on the bag as well. I can’t actually process that that just happened.”

The winning moment as birthday girl Alexa Pano lands her maiden LET/LPGA title ?#RaiseOurGame | #WorldInvitational pic.twitter.com/P8c8akJBuC

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) August 20, 2023

Pano fired a round of 66 on day four at Galgorm to put herself in contention for the win, making three bogeys and nine birdies including two in her final two holes.

England’s Cowley carded a round of 70 on the final day competition and rolled in an eagle putt on the last to secure her place in the playoff.

The 27-year-old had the opportunity to take the win on the second playoff hole when she had a five-foot birdie putt, but unfortunately, she missed it and Pano triumphed on the next hole.

While two-time LET winner Henseleit produced a second consecutive round of 69  which included three birdies in her last four holes to put herself in the playoff.

However, the German was only able to make a par on the first playoff hole and ended the week in a tie for second place alongside Cowley.

Henseleit said: “I’m pretty happy with how my game is at the moment and how it’s been the last couple months. I feel really good on the course. I had a lot of fun playing in contention the last two days, so, yeah, hopefully, we’ll be back.”

America’s Ryann O’Toole finished in fourth place on seven-under-par after a final round of 70 in Northern Ireland.

Germany’s Olivia Cowan fired a final round of 68 to end the week in fifth place and secure back-to-back top-10 finishes.

“I’m very pleased,” she said. “I played really nicely today. I played good the last two days. I just had a poor finish yesterday, but I just tried to stay positive and keep going today.

“My new mindset has been going well, I haven’t gotten angry yet, so I’m just sticking to that. I think good golf will follow. Last week gave me a lot of confidence as well, heading into the week I knew my game was well. I’m just excited to play in the next few events.”

In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, France’s Celine Boutier continues to lead the way with 1,725.38 with Spain’s Ana Peláez Trivino in second (1,487.20) and India’s Aditi Ashok in third (1,309.19).

Sweden’s Linn Grant is fourth with 1,276.28 points and India’s Diksha Dagar has reduced the gap in fifth and now has 1,237.34 points with Czechia’s Klara Davidson Spilkova in sixth (10,66.46).

Germany’s Cowan moves up to seventh place and now has 1,062.47 points with Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson in eighth, England’s Cara Gainer in ninth and Charley Hull in 10th.

Cowley jumps from 30th to 11th place in the 2023 standings and now has 920.27 points to her name.

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Dan Brown claimed his first DP World Tour victory in style in his 20th start as he held his nerve for a five-shot win at the ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle.

The Englishman had been top of the leaderboard since carding an opening 64 and entered the final day with a six-shot lead, although he did not have it all his own way at Galgorm Castle.

He saw his advantage trimmed to two on the back nine but closed out victory with a 69 that saw him finish at 15-under ahead of Alex Fitzpatrick, who carded a finishing 68.

It has been a long road to the winner’s circle for Brown, who played his first DP World Tour event at the 2015 KLM Open but had to wait seven years and two months for his second appearance.

In between he played on the EuroPro Tour and European Challenge Tour, playing no Ranking events in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, before earning his full playing privileges on the Challenge Tour for 2022 thanks to his third runner-up finish of the 2021 EuroPro Tour campaign at the season-ending Matchroom Tour Championship.

He finished 30th on last season’s Road to Mallorca before graduating from the Qualifying School and after making 16 of 19 cuts this season — including his first 13 — and securing three top 10s, he can now put a first professional victory on his CV at the age of 28.

.@danbrown212 wins his first DP World Tour title in his rookie season ?#WorldInvitational pic.twitter.com/rJgZbWvH5L

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 20, 2023

“It feels amazing,” said Brown, who moves to 35th on the Race to Dubai Rankings after 12 consecutive sub-70 rounds.

“I could never have dreamt this up in the past however many years and months.

“I didn’t really putt great yesterday, it was a bit nervy, I was struggling to get the pace and it was kind of similar again today. Once we got down the closing stretch… I was just trying to make sure it was a decent holeable pace.”

Brown secured a tie for seventh at the Barbasol Championship last time out to move into the top 70 in the Race to Dubai and revealed the knowledge he would have a card for next season allowed him to change his mindset this week.

“America was a bit of a turning point,” he said. “That gave me a lot of confidence that I can do it and I sewed my card up there pretty much, so this week and the rest of the year I’m just trying to enjoy it a bit more and freewheel.”

A two-shot swing on the first quickly cut Brown’s advantage to four as the leader three-putted and Fitzpatrick holed a 12-foot right-to-lefter from the fringe.

Wilco Nienaber — who also started the day six back — got in trouble around the green to record a double-bogey and with the players in third seven shots back, a two-horse race was already developing as Fitzpatrick birdied the second from 11 feet to get within three.

The leading duo both dropped shots at the third after coming up short of the green and Fitzpatrick made it back-to-back bogeys when he found a nasty greenside lie with his second at the fourth.

Brown had missed a good birdie chance at the fourth as he looked to steady the ship but he made no mistake after putting his tee-shot to six feet at the par-three fifth and a stunning approach to tap-in range at the next meant he was back where he started and six ahead.

Brown and Fitzpatrick both made two-putt birdies on the par-five tenth but there was the second two-shot swing of the day on the next as Fitzpatrick holed from 16 feet and Brown three-putted.

A failure to get up and down after missing the green on the 12th was followed by a poor tee-shot from Brown on the next and when he once again failed to save par after finding sand with his second, the lead was down to two.

But Brown holed from 25 feet on the 14th and 26 feet on the 15th for back-to-back birdies – with Fitzpatrick making a gain of his own on the latter – before a two-shot swing went his way as he put an approach to five feet at the 17th and Fitzpatrick failed to get up and down from the sand.

England’s Eddie Pepperell had his best result of the season as he finished third at seven under after a third consecutive round of 68 achieved with a set of clubs he had built on-site on Wednesday.

South African Nienaber, Dane Marcus Helligkilde, Spaniard Adrian Otaegui, England’s John Parry and Scot Connor Syme finished at five-under, one clear of English pair Matthew Baldwin and Matthew Southgate.

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Gabriella Cowley fired a fine 67 to hold a one-shot lead going into the final round of the ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle on Saturday.

The Englishwoman began the day two shots behind the leader and got off to a good start with birdies on the second, fourth and eighth holes.

Cowley dropped a shot on the 10th but rolled in back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 and made another on 14.

The 27-year-old then had another bogey on the 15th but made a birdie on 17 to seal a round of 67 and move to the top of the leaderboard on six-under.

“Obviously, it’s great,” said Cowley, who is in search of a maiden LET title. “Today was just a really good day. I felt really in control and just really enjoyed it.

“I thought the course set-up today was great. There is still rain and wind, but it just wasn’t as severe, and the course wasn’t playing as tough and as long. The rough just seemed to actually not settle down as much. It’s still thick, but it just didn’t seem to nestle down as much today. There were a few more birdie chances today.

“It’s what we wish for to lead a tournament and things we want to do as much as we can, so I think I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m playing well, so just see what happens.

“Me and my caddie Ben, we’re such close friends. We have been friends for a while now. He just makes me laugh all day. I just feel really relaxed and it’s just a bit of a different feeling. Usually, my dad is here and he does a great job, too, but it’s just nice for someone to be doing all the work and me just hitting the shots.

“I quite like playing against the guys and being at the same venues as them. I feel like I can learn quite a lot from them, and just understanding what sort of shots they like to play and how they do things. These weeks are a bit more open minded and a bit more relaxed. Tomorrow I’m just hoping it’s a late tee off so I can watch the football!”

.@gabscowley is pulling out all the shots on day three! ?#RaiseOurGame | #WorldInvitational

pic.twitter.com/1yRR13C36N

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) August 19, 2023

American Ryann O’Toole and Germany’s Esther Henseleit sit in a share of second place on five-under at Galgorm.

Switzerland’s Kim Metraux sits in solo fourth place on four-under-par after producing a round of 69 (-3).

Four players are in a tie for fifth place with England’s Bronte Law, American Alexa Pano, Germany’s Olivia Cowan and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela all on two-under-par.

While Korea’s Soo Bin Joo and Wales’ Chloe Williams round out the top 10 on one-under-par with one round remaining.

In the co-santioned DP World Tour men’s competition, England’s Dan Brown maintained his six-shot advantage and leads with a total of 14-under-par ahead of England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and South Africa’s Wilco Nienaber.

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The American leads the way in the event co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA and the men’s DP World Tour.

Dan Brown produced another brilliant round to blitz the field and storm into a six-shot lead in the men’s tournament at Galgorm and Castlerock courses.

American Steen began the day on two-under, which she carded at Galgorm, and headed to the links of Castlerock.

Being in the first group out, Steen got the best of the conditions on what turned out to be a very gusty and damp day.

The 33-year-old made two bogeys and three birdies for her round of 72 and moved to the top of the leaderboard with a total of three-under.

“I told my caddie before we started just to stay patient today with how windy it was going to be,” said Steen. “This course is so exposed being so close to the water, so it was really all I was trying to do was stay patient. That was really my only thought.

“Galgorm is a lot of a different challenge than this course with it being parkland, and the wind out there is harder to judge because, with more trees, it just swirls more. Out here where it’s so exposed it was just more trusting that I had the right club and I had accounted for the wind properly.

“I feel like I’ve put some good weeks together so far this season. My game feels really close. I was bummed to not make the AIG last week, but I had some good time to just work on my golf game.

“It feels good to see that paying off this week as well. I feel like my game has been pretty solid. Maybe not putting it all together at exactly the right time, but things feel good.”

Germany’s Esther Henseleit sits in second after shooting a round of 71 at Castlerock.

Four players are in a share of third place with England’s Gabriella Cowley, Germany’s Olivia Cowan, Switzerland’s Kim Metraux and American Ryann O’Toole all on one-under-par.

Cowley, who was one of the co-leaders overnight, had a tough day at Galgorm carding a round of 75 but remains just two shots off the lead.

“Conditions were really tough this morning especially early on with it being cold as well as windy and to have the rain, but I knew it was going to be a battle and I just had to grind a score out,” said the Englishwoman.

Dan Brown. DPWT

Meanwhile, Brown, who was one of the afternoon starters at Galgorm, surged ahead of the distant chasing pack following his superb four under par 66.

A roller-coaster front nine contained four birdies and three bogeys before he powered ahead with three more gains to sit six clear of Spaniard Angel Hidalgo and Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick at the halfway point in Northern Ireland.

“I’ve just been taking it one shot at a time. I know it’s cliché, but obviously it’s been so tricky at times, with the wind and rain today as well,” Brown said.

“I suppose you just work out the shots as best you can and then try and execute it. Thankfully, I have done it a few times over the last couple of days.

“I think the last two events, Denmark and then the Barbasol in America, had two good finishes there and I felt like I’ve done enough to keep my card for next year. It feels as though the shackles are off a little bit.

“Obviously it’s my first year out here, so I’ve been trying to put that to the back of my mind, and obviously do as well as you can each week, but I feel like I’m just going out and enjoying it a bit more now, a little bit more carefree, I suppose.”

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Dan Brown wrote his own script to card the lowest round of his DP World Tour career with a 64 to take a two-shot lead after day one of the ISPS Handa World Invitational.

The Englishman — not the famous Da Vinci Code author — carded an eagle and six birdies with a single bogey at Castlerock Golf Club to get to seven-under at the event co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour where full fields of men and women play across two courses over four days.

Italian Gregorio De Leo challenged Brown for the round of the day with a five-under 65 at Galgorm Castle, where scoring proved tougher on the opening day.

English duo Callan Barrow and Alex Fitzpatrick and India’s Manu Gandas were also at five-under after all carding rounds of 66 at Castlerock.

.@FitzAlex99 continued his recent fine form as a birdie blitz steered him to an opening 66 at the @World_Inv_Golf ?#WorldInvitational

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 17, 2023

It has been a long road to the DP World Tour for Brown, who is playing his rookie season at the age of 28 after coming through the Qualifying School.

He made his debut at the 2015 KLM Open but did not make another appearance until this season, as he spent time moving between the EuroPro Tour and European Challenge Tour, finishing 30th on last season’s Road to Mallorca.

An excellent start to his DP World Tour career saw him make his first 13 cuts with two top tens and while he then missed three weekends in June and July, he achieved his first PGA TOUR top ten last time out at the Barbasol Championship.

That saw him enter this week 74th on the Race to Dubai Rankings, and he made a fast start in Northern Ireland, birdieing the second, third, sixth and seventh to turn in 31.

A birdie at the 11th was followed by an eagle at the 15th and while he bogeyed the 16th, Brown picked the shot back up at the last.

“I felt like this week more than any other was important to get off to a good start with some bad weather forecast tomorrow,” he said. “There’s going to be times where you’re grinding it out and battling to make pars. I’ve given myself a nice little buffer really ahead of that challenge tomorrow.

“It’s probably as good as I played all year. Tee to green and was really solid. Holed out nicely inside ten to 12 feet and the front nine wasn’t too windy but then it really got up on the back nine.

“The round just kept on flowing even though the conditions got a bit tougher so it was positive after a good three or four weeks off in the schedule.

“I didn’t actually get to play the Scandinavian Mixed, but I think it’s a great change to the atmosphere, watching how everyone goes about things. Trying to learn off each other and also amazing for the fans as well.”

De Leo — a Challenge Tour rookie making his first DP World Tour appearance — started on the 10th at Galgorm and birdied his opener, 12th and 16th before bogeying the next.

A brilliant second to six feet brought an eagle at the 18th and he shared the lead with gains at the first, fifth and seventh before a bogey-bogey finish.

Fitzpatrick — a recent winner on the Challenge Tour and brother of former US Open champ Matt — had set the early pace with five birdies in a row from the 11th but he bogeyed the first before picking the shot back up on the ninth.

Barrow also carded six birdies and a bogey in just his third DP World Tour start, as did 2022 TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India Order or Merit winner Gandas.

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It was a solid start for Englishwoman Bronte Law on Thursday at the ISPS Handa World Invitational. The 28-year-old carded a solid three-under 70 at Castlerock on day one, making four birdies and one bogey to sit one off the lead of Switzerland’s Kim Metraux, England’s Gabriella Cowley, Sweden’s Ellinor Sudow and Australia’s Karis Davidson on the same course of the mixed, double-venue event, co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour and LPGA.

Starting her day on the par-4 10th hole, Law grabbed a birdie early on the par-5 11th, and then made two more on 14 and 16, both of which are par 3s. She dropped a shot on 18 to turn in 35 but birdied the par-5 3rd hole to erase her mistake, parring out to finish with a 70 and sit one back of the lead. Law was incredibly pleased with her performance on a difficult, windy day in Northern Ireland and will look to build off this strong first-round showing over the next 54 holes.

“Those into-wind holes were very challenging,” said Law, who hit 11 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens. “Some pin positions there is not much green to work with, and when a gust of wind blows in your face, it makes that landing area even smaller. So being smart with where you want to leave yourself. You know you’re not always going to hit all the greens, so leaving yourself in position to where you are more likely to make up and down. Thought I managed that pretty well today. I think that’s the key when you’re playing this style of golf course. I think it’s a lot of fun. But you have to stay switched on all day.”

Law will now set her sights on Galgorm Castle Golf Club, a venue that differs drastically from the links-style golf she played at Castlerock, a change in pace that will take some adjustment from the LPGA veteran.

“I’m going to go over there on the putting green now and get to grips with the green speeds because they’re slightly different, hit some shots on the range,” Law said. “Just kind of get out of the wind mentality for links courses and a little more target golf as it will be out there tomorrow. It’s been playing a little softer, so, yeah, very different.”

Kim Metraux. LET

It was a steady day for Swiss star Metraux, who only had one dropped shot on her card and rolled in five birdies.

“Just overall a really solid day,” said Metraux. “I started off well with a birdie on one and that kind of got me going through the round.

“I managed to not really miss many greens. The only one I missed was when I made bogey on 15. I was a bit unfortunate to make a bogey on a reachable par-five, but overall I was just really solid from tee to green and managed to drop a few putts, which was really nice.

“Links is definitely something different than what we play year long, but we did play Scottish two weeks ago. That kind was good preparation I guess for today and most of the tournaments we play on LET, although not links courses, we’ve had quite a windy season.

“Galgorm is very different from here. It’s like two completely different worlds. A lot softer course with thick rough, so it’s definitely a different challenge, but if I keep hitting fairways and greens we’ll be in good shape.”

England’s Cowley got off to a solid start making birdies on the third, eighth, 10th and 11th holes.

The 27-year-old dropped a shot on the 13th but soon bounced back with birdies on 15 and 17, but unfortunately found trouble on the last and ended with a bogey for her round of four-under.

“For my birdie on 10, it was playing quite tough into the wind,” she said. “I hit a really good drive and hit 5-iron and it was just perfect; I holed a good putt. I made a few birdies today which was nice.

“Being on a links course it was windy this afternoon, so I was just trying to manage the ball flight and the kind of shots that we’re trying to hit. I think the course was playing tough, but there were obviously a few par-fives that we can reach which was good for us.

“I like Galgorm. I played there for the last few years, so looking forward to tomorrow. My plan is similar to today. Trust what I’m doing and hit the shots that I need to hit and play good golf.

“Obviously completely different course, completely different style. It’s not so much managing how much it runs out and how much the wind will affect it. It’s about picking a good number and committing to it.”

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Leona Maguire is anticipating a tricky challenge over the first two days of the ISPS Handa World Invitational  in Northern Ireland this week.

The event — co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour — sees two separate 72-hole stroke play tournaments for the men and women with two separate prize funds of $1.5 million.

Over the first two rounds, the players will face two different courses as they tee it up on the parklands course at Galgorm Castle and on the links at Castlerock Golf Club.

And having to play both set-ups back to back, Maguire knows she will have to adapt to each course and the conditions.

“It’s two very different tests this week,” said the two-time LPGA Tour winner. “Obviously, one being links, one being parkland. Castlerock is a pure links golf course.

“The conditions will very much be dependent on weather. There are semi-blind tee shots and like on any golf course, you need to stay out of those pot bunkers that can be pretty penal.

“Galgorm is playing lush and soft, a little bit more target golf I think, and you have to stay out of the rough. It will definitely be a premium on hitting fairways around Galgorm.

“In links in particular, with the winds, there are some shots that you can hit four different clubs and there’s not really a right or a wrong club. It’s whatever you think at that moment in time.

“Whereas over here on this side at Galgorm it’s more target golf and you’re just going to hit it straight at the pin. It’s an adjustment in mindset, but I think that’s the fun of it. It’s nice when you have to be a little bit more creative and use your imagination a little bit, and it’s not just stand up and hit it wherever you want.

“That’s the beauty of links golf. We played Castlerock pretty calm yesterday in one wind, and then it can be you hit driver, wedge one day and it could be driver, 3-wood the next day, so it depends, and you have to judge it when you get there and take each one as it comes.”

It’s go time at Galgorm ?#RaiseOurGame | #WorldInvitational pic.twitter.com/HIa3PFzL4u

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) August 17, 2023

Maguire, who is No. 14 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, will begin her competition at Castlerock alongside American Mina Hariage and Anne van Dam of the Netherlands.

While the Irishwoman also hopes the crowd will be able to appreciate the golf game of the men and women teeing it up this week.

“We’ll probably have quite different strategies in terms of how we play the holes,” she explained. “We’ll probably be going driver a lot out here, whereas they’re probably taking 2-irons and things off tees.

“It’s fun to see a few of the guys I played junior golf with. I was up here on Monday afternoon and two of the first guys I saw were Matteo Manassero and Adrian Otaegui, who I played the Junior Ryder Cup with in 2008.

“I haven’t really seen them since, so nice to catch up with them and see how far we’ve all come. We’ve all won on Tour now, and nice to see the journey.

“It’ll be fun for the fans as well to see those alternating groups and see the difference, and hopefully people don’t try to compare too much. I think that you can enjoy the skill of both the ladies and the men without having to sort of compare and contrast them. There are great things to see and learn from both sides.”

The 28-year-old who hails from Cavan, Ireland will have plenty of support on the ground this week with family and friends in attendance.

And after solid weeks in the final two majors of the year with T42 at The Amundi Evian Championship and T30 at the AIG Women’s Open, Maguire is not putting too much pressure on herself and is focusing on enjoying the game.

She added: “My mum and dad are here, my sister Lisa is on the bag, and I have lots of friends coming. A lot of friends from junior golf that we haven’t seen in quite a while. It’s nice to see some of those familiar faces, and anytime they are rooting you on, it’s extra special.

“All the pieces are there. It’s just getting them to click at the right time. Hopefully, that can sort of happen in the next few weeks again. The way the year has gone, getting the win and everything, everything that happens for the second half of the season is kind of a bonus.

“I’m not really putting too much pressure on myself. I just want to enjoy these few weeks of golf and the last of the European stretch and then we’ll finish the season off.”

The post Maguire to change course for ‘different’ challenges at ISPS Handa World Invitational appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

With the final major of the year complete, the Ladies European Tour returns to Northern Ireland for the next stop on the schedule.

The ISPS Handa World Invitational, which is co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour and LPGA Tour, is next up on the calendar.

It will be the third edition of the tournament and Galgorm once again will be one of the venues, while this year Castlerock is the second course that the players will play.

There are two separate 72-hole stroke play tournaments for men and women with two separate prize funds of $1,500,000.

For the first two rounds, all players will play one round at Galgorm and one round at Castlerock Golf Club. The men and women will play in separate alternating groups on both courses.

In rounds three and four, the men and women will again play in separate alternating groups in score order (within the separate tournaments) at Galgorm only.

There will be a cut to the top 60 professionals and ties after 36 holes, and another cut to the top 35 players and ties after 54 holes.

Ireland’s Leona Maguire is the top-ranked player in the field this week as she is No. 14 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings with England’s Georgia Hall the next best at No. 16.

Hall finished in third place at the 2022 edition of the tournament while Maguire ended the week in 10th place with both hoping to improve that this week.

Five LET players head into this week off the back of best-ever finishes in a major at last week’s AIG Women’s Open with Olivia Cowan (T9), Alice Hewson (T16), Diksha Dagar (T21), Kylie Henry (T44) and Cara Gainer (T61).

There are three Northern Irish players teeing it up this week on home soil with Olivia Mehaffey, Stephanie Meadow and Jessica Ross.

Thursday ladies tee times
Hole 1 (GAL denotes Galgorm, CAS for Castlerock)
7.30 GAL, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN), Lauren Stephenson (USA), Tiffany Arafi (SUI)
7.52 GAL, Gabriella Then (USA), Liz Young (ENG), Jessica Ross (NIR)
8.14 GAL, Eleanor Givens (ENG), Mariajo Uribe (COL), Ayaka Sugihara (JPN)
8.36 GAL, Yealimi Noh (USA), Sara Kjellker (SWE), Elin Arvidsson (SWE)
8.58 GAL, Bianca Pagdanganan (PHI), Allison Emrey (USA), Annabel Dimmock (ENG)
9.20 GAL, Tereza Melecka (CZE), Sarah Jane Smith (AUS), Jing Yan (CHN)

Hole 10
7.30 GAL, Jasmine Suwannapura (THA), Manon De Roey (BEL), Kylie Henry (SCO)
7.52 GAL, Christine Wolf (AUT), Luna Sobron Galmes (ESP), Ana Belac (SLO)
8.14 GAL, Meghan MacLaren (ENG). Dewi Weber (NED), Jennifer Song (USA)
8.36 GAL, Becky Brewerton (WAL), Annie Park (USA), Linnea Johansson (SWE)
8.58 GAL, Valery Plata (COL), Noora Komulainen (FIN), Chanettee Wannasaen (THA)
9.20 GAL, Leonie Harm (GER), Tiffany Chan (HKG), Yuri Onishi (JPN)

Hole 1
12.30 GAL, Sarah Kemp (AUS), Trichat Cheenglab (THA), Alice Hewson (ENG)
12.52 GAL, Cara Gainer (ENG), Stephanie Meadow (NIR), Ryann O’Toole (USA)
13.14 GAL, Georgia Hall (ENG), Albane Valenzuela (SUI), Esther Henseleit (GER)
13.36 GAL, Emily Kristine Pedersen (DEN), Ana Pelaez Trivino (ESP), Azahara Munoz (ESP)
13.58 GAL, Yu Liu (CHN), Chiara Noja (GER), Olivia Mehaffey (NIR)
14.20 GAL, Muni He (CHN), Diksha Dagar (IND), Lea Anne Bramwell (WAL)

Hole 10
12.30 GAL, Marissa Steen (USA), Emma Grechi (FRA), Marta Sanz Barrio (ESP)
12.52 GAL, Kelly Tan (MAS), April Angurasaranee (THA), Marianne Skarpnord (NOR)
13.14 GAL, Casandra Alexander (RSA), Peiyun Chien (TPE), Nuria Iturrioz (ESP)
13.36 GAL, Maria Hernandez (ESP), Emma Talley (USA), Frida Kinhult (SWE)
13.58 GAL, Aline Krauter (GER), Soo Bin Joo (KOR), Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR)
14.20 GAL, Madelene Stavnar (NOR), Samantha Wagner (USA), Amelia Lewis (USA)

Hole 1
7.30 CAS, Clara Manzalini (ITA), Karis Davidson (AUS), Agathe Sauzon (FRA)
7.52 CAS, Anne-Charlotte Mora (FRA), Yu-Sang Hou (TPE), Chloe Williams (WAL)
8.14 CAS, Moa Folke (SWE), Lucy Li (USA), Kim Metraux (SUI)
8.36 CAS, Ellinor Sudow (SWE), Louise Ridderstrom (SWE), Emma Spitz (AUT)
8.58 CAS, Laura Beveridge (SCO), Sydnee Michaels (USA), Su Oh (AUS)
9.20 CAS, Weiwei Zhang (CHN), Alexandra Forsterling (GER), Ilhee Lee (KOR)

Hole 10
7.30 CAS, Anais Meyssonnier (FRA), Lauren Hartlage (USA), Jennifer Chang (USA)
7.52 CAS, Olivia Cowan (GER), Nicole Garcia (RSA), Lee-Anne Pace (RSA)
8.14 CAS, Mina Harigae (USA), Anne Van Dam (NED), Leona Maguire (IRL)
8.36 CAS, Alessandra Fanali (ITA), Bronte Law (ENG), Nicole Broch Estrup (DEN)
8.58 CAS, Daniela Darquea (ECU), Lily May Humphreys (ENG) Patricia Isabel Schmidt (GER)
9.20 CAS, Daniela Holmqvist (SWE), Lisa Pettersson (SWE), Jaravee Boonchant (THA)

Hole 1
12.30 CAS, Kum-Kang Park (KOR), Anna Magnusson (SWE), Louise Duncan (SCO)
12.52 CAS, Polly Mack (GER), Yuna Nishimura (JPN), Gabriella Cowley (ENG)
13.14 CAS, Michele Thomson (SCO), Riley Rennell (USA), Gina Kim (USA)
13.36 CAS, Kristyna Napoleaova (CZE), Pornanong Phatlum (THA), Alexa Pano (USA)
13.58 CAS, Dottie Ardina (PHI), Sophie Witt (GER), Wichanee Meechai (THA)
14.20 CAS, Hayley Davis (ENG), Kiira Riihijarvi (FIN), Lauren Holmey (NED)

Hole 10
12.30 CAS, Nastasia Nadaud (FRA), Sofia Garcia (PAR), Sara Kouskova (CZE)
12.52 CAS, Pavarisa Yoktuan (THA), Lydia Hall (WAL), Jana Melichova (CZE)
13.14 CAS, Pia Babnik (SLO), Ruixin Liu (CHN), Christina Kim (USA)
13.36 CAS, Rosie Davies (ENG), Laura Wearn (USA), Magdalena Simmermacher (ARG)
13.58 CAS, Amanda Doherty (USA), Maria Fernanda Torres (PUR), Hannah Burke (ENG)
14.20 CAS, Sanna Nuutinen (FIN), Yaeeun Hong (KOR), Arpichaya Yubol (THA)

The post Ladies European Tour heads back to Northern Ireland for the ISPS Handa World Invitational alongside DP World Tour and LPGA appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Qatar Masters champion is in fine form once again after also setting a course record at the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews a fortnight ago, carded five birdies and two eagles as he moved four strokes clear in Northern Ireland.

The 26-year-old held a healthy two-stroke lead as he stood on the 18th tee after holing out from a bunker on the par five 10th and making two further gains on the 13th and 14th holes, adding to his three under par front nine. He hit his second shot on the 18th just short of the green and then chipped in from 14 yards for his second eagle of the day, moving to nine-under.

He sits clear of Spain’s Borja Virto, Felix Palson of Sweden and Englishman Richard Bland, who each carded five-under 65s at Massereene, the second host venue of the innovative event. Eleven players share fourth place on four-under, including Filippo Celli, who won the Silver Medal at The 150th Open at St Andrews after finishing as low amateur, and Thomas Aiken, who is making his first start since the South African Open last December.

Amanda Doherty

The ISPS Handa is tri-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour, with men’s and women’s tournaments played on the same courses at the same time for two equal prize funds of US$1.5million. Competitors play one round at Galgorm Castle and Massereene Golf Clubs on Thursday and Friday, with the final two rounds of action taking place at Galgorm.

In the women’s competition, American Amanda Doherty carded a six-under 67 at Galgorm Castle to take a one stroke lead into the second round. She sits ahead of compatriot Lauren Coughlin and Solheim Cup players Georgia Hall, Leona Maguire and Emily Kristine Pedersen who share second on five-under.

“I played the pro-am with Niall (Horan) and Robbie Keane yesterday and I kept hitting a lot of bunkers,” said Ferguson. “They were saying, you love the bunkers. See you tomorrow. Just try and stay out of them. Today was just nice to avoid them, which was good. Obviously a 61, so course record is pretty nice.

“It is hard to follow a low round, because I had that kind of situation a couple weeks ago on St Andrews when I shot 11-under and the next day the feel was quite different. I was thinking: ‘Jeez, I was seven-under at this point yesterday and I’m one-under or level. So it is hard, but at the end of the day your golf ball doesn’t know what score you’re on, so just keep that in mind and try and just keep doing what I’m doing.”

Doherty equalled her career-best round on the LPGA Tour of 67 to lead by one.

“I was really just trying to stay in the moment today, and I feel like I was just kind of in that mindset starting the day,” said the LPGA Tour rookie. “I stayed patient. I know it’s kind of cliche, but it works. I was hitting the ball well. I made a couple good putts and there were some reachable par-fives, so it just kind of came together.

“I thought it was awesome out there. This is like perfect weather for me, and the course is in great shape. You don’t often get to play two courses, so it’s definitely interesting. A totally new game plan tomorrow. I’m just trying to stick to the same thing and stay patient and hopefully have a good round.”

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The post Ferguson races ahead in Northern Ireland as Doherty leads ladies at DP World Tour/LET/LPGA ISPS Handa World Invitational appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.