<p>Kate Dillon celebrates with the trophy. ©INPHO/Nick Elliott</p>
Oughterard's Kate Dillon made history when she claimed the inaugural East of Ireland Women's Amateur Open after a play-off on a thrilling final day at Woodbrook.
The Arizona State golfer made an incredible birdie on the 18th to force sudden-death with Roscommon's Olivia Costello, before a sensational approach on the second play-off hole secured another birdie and a famous victory.
"It feels great to come away with the win after the day I had, so very happy," said Dillon, whose one-shot overnight lead evaporated quickly when she bogeyed the second, third and sixth and double-bogeyed the seventh to fall four strokes behind Costello.
After making birdies at the eighth and ninth, Dillon got back into contention when Costello triple-bogeyed the par-five 14th after an errant tee shot.
Costello bounced back with a birdie on the 15th, but Dillon responded with a birdie at the 16th, reducing the lead to one stroke with two holes remaining.
"It was pretty brutal, I wasn't hitting it well, I was getting a bit frustrated at myself," Dillon said. "Then I relaxed, stayed solid from there on in and just let the golf happen.
"You never know how it's going to end up in the end, so I just kept going, and before I knew it, I was within a chance."
A solid approach on the last allowed the Sun Devils star to make a birdie and join Costello on three-under, forcing a play-off on three-under as she shot a one-over 74 to Costello's 73, leaving them a shot clear of Ballinrobe's Shannon Burke.
"I knew I needed a birdie, and I didn't hit a great shot in, left myself a long putt," Dillon explained. "I was just praying it went in when I saw it go.
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"Olivia had a similar putt from behind me, so I kind of got a read, but I was just telling the ball to get in there because it wasn't listening too much today."
The pair exchanged pars as they returned to the 18th in sudden-death before Dillon went on to win at the par-five first thanks to a brilliant approach.
"We were joking, me and Olivia," Dillon said. "We know each other so well, we're such good friends. We were saying how did we end up after all of this with the exact same amount of shots.
"You're still nervous walking down and I was pretty nervous even coming down the first again. I didn't hit a great tee shot, but I still kept in it, hit a good wedge in, and that sealed the deal, so I was happy with that."
Dillon has just returned home from college in the US, so a win on Irish soil was made all the sweeter as she was surrounded by friends and family.
"Lots of the Dillons came over from Galway, so I'm delighted, and my brother came; he lives in Dublin," she said.
"That's actually the first time I've seen him since coming home from America, so it was great to have him there".
Elsewhere, there was another Galway winner as Aoife Kelly claimed the Best Net prize.
The Galway Bay golfer carded a final round 71 to end the championship on three-under net, one stroke ahead of Joanna Campbell.
Burke's closing 71 allowed her to take home the Mid-Am prize on two-under par, four shots better than Kelly, with Lahinch's Aideen Walsh another stroke further back on three-over par.
The next event on the women's schedule is the North of Ireland Women's Amateur Open Championship at Lough Erne from June 28-29.
East of Ireland Women's Amateur Open, Woodbrook GC (Par 73)
Final
216 Kate Dillon (Oughterard) 69 73 74, Olivia Costello (Roscommon) 77 66 73
(Dillon won with a birdie at the second play-off hole);
217 Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) 69 77 71;
220 Ellen O'Shaughnessy (Co Louth) 74 71 75, Katie Poots (Knock) 72 72 76;
221 Aoife Kelly (Galway bay) 71 78 72;
222 Libby Fleming (Kilkenny) 72 78 72, Aideen Walsh (Lahinch) 74 73 75;
223 Anna Dawson (Tramore) 75 76 72;
224 Jessica Reynolds (Co Sligo) 72 76 76;
225 Kate Lanigan (Hermitage) 72 78 75, Anna Abom (Edmondstown) 72 78 75;
229 Isabella Stewart (Woodbrook) 80 73 76;
230 Caitlin Shippam (Ballykisteen) 74 77 79;
231 Ella Cantwell (Esker Hills) 75 79 77;
234 Lauren Dancis (Carton House) 76 79 79;
236 Kayleigh Mulholland (Moyola Park) 82 78 76;
237 Joanna Campbell (Royal Co Down Ladies) 78 77 82, Maebh McLoughlin (Co Sligo) 81 76 80;
239 Maddie Armstrong (Knock) 81 80 78;
243 Emma Haugh (Greystones) 80 81 82, Charlie Maxwell (Royal Curragh) 77 81 85;
244 Deirdre Walsh (Milltown) 80 80 84;
245 Aoife Ni Thuama (Douglas) 80 78 87.
Missed the cut
162 Grace Dowdall (Forrest Little) 82 80, Claudia O’Donoghue (Douglas) 86 76, Jade Harty (Galway) 79 83;
163 Deirdre Smith (Co Louth) 81 82, Clodagh Coughlan (Douglas) 82 81, Lauren Bradfield (Waterford Castle) 80 83;
164 Holly Hamilton (Belvoir Park) 83 81, Sophie Harrison (Dun Laoghaire) 77 87, Erin Poots (Knock) 86 78, Ella Grennan (Athlone) 81 83, Sadhbh Kelly (Bray) 82 82;
166 Emma Vinarcik (Tralee) 82 84, Sinead Ni Cheilleachair (Tullamore) 81 85, Clodagh Hopkins (Woodbrook) 82 84, Mirah Mijumbi (Roganstown Junior) 86 80, Niamh O Sullivan (Mallow) 86 80;
167 Seána McGuinness (Greenore) 84 83;
168 Sophie Dodd (Enniscrone) 81 87, Olivia Byrne (Blainroe) 92 76;
169 Isabella Shannon Hernandez (Mount Wolseley) 88 81, Jenny Maguire (Foxrock) 83 86, Qingyun (Elsa) Chen (Grange) 83 86;
170 Nicola Coffey (Woodbrook) 86 84, Sarahjane McNally (Skerries) 89 81;
171 Helena Burke (Carlow) 85 86, Gemma McMeekin (Royal Portrush) 90 81;
172 Rebecca Wall (Malahide) 84 88, Orla Foley (Headfort) 83 89;
173 Sue Phillips (Woodbrook) 86 87;
174 Rosaleen Drennan (Blarney) 83 91, Maria O'Reilly (Headfort) 85 89;
176 Caoimhe Byrne (Grange) 88 88;
177 Kate Lynch (The Island) 89 88, Isobel Byrne (Blainroe) 89 88;
181 Ciara Corcoran (Grange) 90 91;
184 Shauna Fee (Blacklion) 89 95;
186 Jessica Sutton (Ballyneety) 93 93;
188 Jayde Dunbar (Mullingar) 97 91;
WD Karen O'Neill (Douglas) 79 WD;
NS Emma Murray (PGA National Slieve Russell)
Article Link: Kate Dillon wins inaugural East of Ireland Women's Amateur Open after play-off - News - Irish Golf Desk