More USA college honours for Leona Maguire

NEWS RELEASE FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY

BRADENTON, Florida– Duke University women’s golf standout Leona Maguire has swept the Division I women’s golf national awards following the completion of the NCAA Championship at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.

Maguire was named the PING WGCA Player of the Year and WGCA Freshman of the Year, which are the organisation’s highest player honours for 2014-15. 

Maguire, who hails from Cavan, Ireland, collected a school-record 70.78 stroke average, while notching eight top five and 10 top 10 placements out of 11 tournaments during her rookie campaign.  The ACC Player and Rookie of the Year totalled three victories on the season

It is just the second time a Duke golfer has won both the WGCA Player and Rookie of the Year honour. Amanda Blumenherst earned the awards in 2005-06.  

Her stroke average of 70.78 bested Blumenherst’s mark of 71.00 from the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns.  Maguire equalled Blumenherst’s Blue Devil record of 24 rounds of even or under par as well from the 2005-06 season, while her nine top five finishes this season ranked tied third.

Maguire netted a team-best 10 rounds in the 60s and her scores counted all 32 rounds during the 2014-15 campaign.    Maguire currently ranks No. 1 nationally in both the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and the Golfstat Cup.

She is also No 1 in the World Women's Amateur Rankings which are run by the USGA and the RandA

In the Duke freshman record books, Maguire closed the season ranking tied second in top five finishes (9), tied second in top 10 finishes (10), tied third in top 20 finishes (10), tied first in victories (3), first in stroke average (70.68) and tied first in even or under par rounds (24).