Ireland's first ever LPGA Tour winner, Leona Maguire, hopes her swashbuckling exploits can help inspire the next generation of young Irish golfers.
The Cavan lady fired a five-under-par 67 to win the Drive On Championship in Florida.
Maguire finished on a score of 18-under-par, three shots clear of Lexi Thompson.
Afterwards, she described her victory as "huge for Irish golf".
"There's never been an Irish player on the tour, let alone a winner," Maguire said.
"Hopefully there's a lot of people watching at home with big smiles on their faces.
"And little girls watching hoping that they can one day hole a putt like that too..."
The 2022 LPGA #DriveOn Championship Winner @leona_maguire joins the media following her win! https://t.co/vhZkyfVic9
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 5, 2022
Maguire held her nerve when American darling Thompson closed the gap on her back nine.
The Solheim Cup star reckoned her ability to stay patient was crucial.
"I think I just stayed really patient," she said.
"And I felt like I did a really good job of that this week.
"I knew my game was close, I did a lot of hard work in the off-season.
"Finally got there in the end!"
Dreamt about this moment for a long time and we’re only getting started 🇮🇪🏆 Couldn’t have done it without the help of my incredible team & family 💚 #canseecanbe pic.twitter.com/pYR4Hdfpdh
— Leona Maguire (@leona_maguire) February 6, 2022
Having finally reached the top of the podium after knocking on the door for so long, Maguire found it hard to put her achievement into words.
"It's a bit surreal. It's been 17 years in the making," she laughed.
"You start wondering if it's ever going to happen.
"But, I'm just really proud of how I played all week, especially.
"[Caddy] Dermot [Byrne] was incredible on the bag, he kept me calm all week - especially today.
"I've a lot of people to thank. It's been a long road, but probably more relief than anything else.
