WOMEN'S IRISH CLOSE FINAL:MARY DOWLING may have felt like the underdog but the Irish international gained the upper hand on Leona Maguire after holing a birdie putt on the 18th green to win yesterday's Women's Irish Close final at Portstewart Golf Club.

The final was a tense affair, swinging one way then the other, before Dowling got the better of her younger opponent to win one up.

The New Ross golfer was quick out of the blocks before Maguire responded mid-round for the match to be level by the time they stood on the 17th tee.

With two par fives to close, the penultimate hole was halved in birdie to set up a grandstand finish.

At the 18th, Dowling hit a drive, five-wood and wedge to eight feet. Maguire had a 12-footer for birdie, but the 15-year-old missed and Dowling kept her nerve to roll in the “slippery” winning putt.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Dowling, who went one better after losing to Leona’s twin, Lisa, in last year’s final. “I still felt like the underdog going into this final. Last year I was a bit overwhelmed and Lisa was six under after nine holes. I knew that wasn’t going to happen again and just focused on making a decent start.”

Dowling’s “decent start” came with a birdie at the first, and a run of three pars was good enough to go two up. The 29-year-old extended her lead to three at the fifth when Maguire failed to get up and down from close range.

Maguire fought back and reduced the deficit to one by the turn as they battled difficult cross winds at the Antrim links.

Parity was restored at the 10th when Dowling failed to get out of the greenside bunker, before the Slieve Russell golfer captured the lead for the first time when she birdied the 11th.

At a crucial stage Maguire appeared more focused and went two up with a 12-footer for birdie at 14.

Dowling then won the par-three 15th with par, and brought the game all-square at 16 when Maguire found the bunker and was unable to get up and down.

The match could have gone either way, but Dowling kept her composure to secure her first Irish Close win.

“I felt really comfortable and was very positive, even when I went two down with four to play. It was nice to finish with two birdies.

“It’s bizarre, I still can’t believe it . . . a dream come true and it’s nice to feel I won it rather than someone lost it.”

Dowling, who now turns her attention to marking exams before teeing it up in the Irish Strokeplay at Newlands the first weekend in June.

Maguire, on the other hand, will focus attentions on the 36th Curtis Cup when she and Lisa, along with Royal County Down’s Danielle McVeigh, form part of the Britain and Ireland team to take on the US at Essex Golf Club in Massachusetts from June 11th-13th.

WOMEN'S IRISH CLOSE (at Portstewart): Final:Mary Dowling (New Ross) bt Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) one hole.