A story of redemption, and more. Of resilience. Of fortitude. Annabel Dimmock, the 27-year-old Londoner who underwent career-saving surgery to remove a bone in her hand a year ago and had played only a limited schedule since her return, defeated Pauline Roussin Bouchard, of France, at the second playoff hole to win the KPMG Women’s Irish Open over the O’Meara course.
That her mother Louise hails from Youghal in Co Cork probably gave Dimmock an edge in tapping into the support from the near 9,000 final day attendance – especially with Leona Maguire’s bid long over before the extra holes duel materialised, as the Solheim Cup bound Cavan player finished in tied 15th – but it was her own deeds that ultimately saw her claim a second LET career title but this one a very special one given her comeback from injury.
Both Dimmock and Roussin Bouchard finished locked together on 19-under-par 273, one shot clear of Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom.
Roussin Bouchard, a former world amateur number one who uses martial arts as part of her fitness regime, shot a final round 65 (which featured nine birdies) to join Dimmock, who finished with a 70, to force the playoff.
The bird-shaped obsession that drives James Crombie, one of Ireland’s best sports photographers
Leona Maguire slips back the field in CME Group Tour Championship second round
Golf lowdowns: Leona Maguire looks to turn fortunes around at LPGA Tour Championship
Dave Hannigan: Behold a version of golf that’s fun and weirdly cool - but still ludicrously expensive
In that head-to-head, though, Dimmock emerged victorious for just a second career win to add to her Jabra Open success of 2019 when, coincidentally, Roussin Bouchard, then a teenage amateur, finished runner-up.
This time, it was the second hole of sudden death that proved decisive. In the first playoff hole, Roussin Bouchard had hit a massive drive of 320 yards and found herself hitting a half-shot to the flag which was poorly executed. For the second time of asking, she switched to a 3-wood and hooked it left into the heavy rough. Dimmock coolly and calmly hit her driver some 310 yards down the fairway to get a clear advantage.
All Roussin Boucard, the ball above her feet in the a poor lie in the rough, could do was attempt to advance the ball towards the green. She did so superbly. But her pitch, with 50 yards left to the pin, was overhit and rolled through the back. Dimmock safely found the putting surface and her two-putt par from 35 feet was sufficient to win after her French opponent’s pitch for par came up short.
Dimmock’s win earned her a pay-day for €60,000 and also provided a happy ending to the online documentary produced by the LET which followed her comeback from surgery. Having been informed by medics that it would take two years to play golf again, Dimmock was back playing after eight months. And, in just her eighth event back, won.
“I worked really hard to get myself back, and I am proud of myself. You know, it’s not just me, it’s a lot of people, my team, my friends, my family, there’s a lot that goes in to get me back fit. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” said Dimmock.
Chiara Tamburlini, the 24-year-old Swiss rookie, also shot a closing 65 to finish on 17-under-par 275 in solo fourth which was sufficient to move her to the top of the LET order of merit.
Maguire’s cause was a lost one from the off, in terms of the actual title itself. However, finally, if belatedly, the putter behaved on the homeward run – with four birdies in a five-hole stretch, including a hat-trick from the 15th – that enabled her to navigate a route into the top 15 and find some momentum ahead of the Solheim Cup in less than a fortnight. Maguire’s 68 for 282 was her best round of the tournament.
In her view, the putting was a legacy of being buffeted by winds for two weeks in Scotland ahead of the tournament (she had an untypical 34 putts in Thursday’s opening round when she found 18 greens in regulation and another 34 in Saturday’s third round) so there was some relief that the short stick became more obedient. She had just 29 putts in the final round.
“I felt like I was in very much control of my game. I didn’t do a hole lot wrong again, 16 greens in regulation again, and holed a couple on the back coming in. I hit a few nice shots and I felt like it was very fine margins this week. It was 10-under but it could have been 25-under very easily but, yeah, nice to finish on some momentum,” said Maguire, who can switch off from competitive golf, after a four-week stretch that started at the Olympics, and get in some rest including the final Coldplay concert at Croke Park.
And, for Dublin teenager Anna Abom, there was also a memorable moment when she was part of the presentation ceremony as the leading amateur. A year ago, that amateur trophy was presented to Sara Byrne, who was the star of GB and Ireland’s winning Curtis Cup team a year later at Sunningdale.
