Ireland’s Áine Donegan remains on course to win the silver medal for leading amateur at the Women’s US Open after battling back from a quintuple-bogey nine during the third round at Pebble Beach on Saturday night.
The 21-year-old Lahinch golfer had moved back into contention for the overall title after carding three birdies in her first six holes to get to two under before she put two balls in the Pacific Ocean on the picturesque eighth hole to drop from the leaderboard and go back over par for the tournament.
Donegan battled back well in windy conditions, coming home in one-over 37 on the tougher back nine to finish the day in a share of 19th position on four over after signing for a three-over 75.
She remains three shots clear of fellow amateurs Benedetta Moresco from Italy and Monet Chun of Canada on seven over, while Amari Avery of the United States is on nine over.
Donegan, cheered on throughout her round by a big group of Irish supporters at Pebble Beach, admitted her nine on the eighth hole was down to her two worst swings of the week.
“Yeah, I hit a good tee shot and I had about 190 to the flag. The wind was really, really left to right there, and that wind often doesn’t suit a right-handed golfer who plays a draw. Not that it makes a huge difference, or it’s an excuse, but I just didn’t hit two – I hit two very bad shots in a row, which obviously concluded in me having a nine on the hole.
“I had to keep moving on. I had still 10 holes left to play. It was very disappointing, but I’m pleased with how I finished after that.”
Donegan, a student at Louisiana State University, admitted she took the advice of her coach and caddie Gary Madden to keep her focus heading into the back nine.
“Yeah, my coach said it to me, so I was three-under through seven, and then obviously I was two-over through nine. My coach said to me, ‘Áine, just act like you’ve just had seven pars and two bogeys. Forget about the fact that it’s a nine. At the end of the day you’ve had the exact same number of shots as seven pars and two bogeys.’ That’s what I did.
“I’m really happy with how I played the back nine, especially the back nine today is playing really tough. It’s really windy. It feels like home, to be honest, the back nine today.
“The back nine is just the back nine at Pebble. It’s very, very difficult with the added wind and then the pressure, it’s tough. It’s tough to play in. Yeah, I’m really happy with how I finished the back nine.”
Donegan putted for par from just outside 20 feet on the famous par-five 18th to one of the biggest roars of the day.
“I made up-and-down from the bunker on the right, which was really nice, and just to hear the crowd roar, to be honest. I don’t get to play in front of big crowds like this very often. There was probably 50 people around the green, so that was really nice. And to do it in front of friends and family and a lot of other Irish people out here was really nice, too, and a good way to finish. I didn’t want to finish bogey-bogey.”
Leona Maguire also carded a three-over 75 in her third round to drop back to two over, and 13th position on her own. The Cavan golfer got an early birdie on the par-five second but double-bogeys at the par-five sixth and the eighth hole where Donegan had so much trouble, saw her turn in three-over 39.
Back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th saw her slip to five over for the day but she finished strongly with birdies at the two par fives, the 14th and closing 18th to get back to two over for the tournament.
Like Donegan, Maguire was also out in the tougher afternoon conditions as the wind whipped up.
“I think it was incredibly difficult,” admitted Maguire. “It had to be playing four or five shots harder in the afternoon than it was this morning. It was just a case of hanging in really. Two-under my last five, it’s nice momentum for tomorrow.”
Maguire played alongside Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, who stormed to the top of the leaderboard on seven under after a stunning six-under 66, the only sub-70 round of the day. Maguire described her playing partner’s round as ‘just incredible’.
Hataoka, 24, has lost in playoffs at two Majors, including the US Women’s Open two years ago.
She said: “Although circumstances may be different, I think some of the elements are still the same as they were versus two years ago.
“In other words, I have to go on all of those 18 holes, discuss with my caddie and work out what’s the best for me, and enjoy my day tomorrow.”
American Allisen Corpuz fell out of a share of the lead with a bogey on the last with overnight leader Bailey Tardy and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim two shots back, two ahead of Korean duo Jiyai Shin and Hae Ran Ryu – the only other players under par.
