Three bogeys on the front nine on Sunday put a full stop on Ashleigh Buhai’s bid for a second LPGA Tour title in two weeks as she carded a closing one-over-par 73 to finish in a share of 13th.
Buhai, who had set herself up for a chance of a victory with three rounds of 68-68-66, dropped shots on the first and second holes, before settling things down with six pars in a row. But she dropped a shot again on the nine, and that left her with a mountain to climb. She tried hard on the homeward nine, making birdies on 10, 12 and 14, but she dropped another shot on the 11th.
Pars all the way home meant she finished on 13-under-par, eight strokes behind the winner, Leona Maguire of Ireland. Maguire raced home in a bogey-free eight-under-par 64, with an eagle and six birdies, to finish two shots clear of Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.
Buhai remained in fourth place in the Race to CME Globe rankings.
