Golfer Lisa Maguire has scooped The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council 'Sportswoman of the Month' award for the month of May.
The 14-year-old from Cavan was was winner of the Irish Women’s Close Championship at Fota Island Golf Resort in May.
At the same competition she won the Leitrim Cup for the second year in a row, as leading strokeplay qualifier in the second round of the championship.
She has won the Sportswoman of the Month award three times in the past alongside her twin sister, Leona, but this is the first time that she has won the award individually.
Lisa will now battle it out with other monthly winners, including Leona, at the end of 2009 to be named the Sportswoman of the Year.
Last year the Irish Women's Close was an all-Maguire affair, with Lisa winning the Leitrim Cup and Leona coming out on top as the youngest ever winner of the competition.
This year's performance saw Lisa retain the Leitrim Cup and battle it out against Mary Dowling of New Ross in the final of the competition, during which she birdied the second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth holes to be six under par at that stage. She finished with a 5 and 4 win.
Commenting on her win, Lisa said: 'I am delighted to be announced as Sportswoman of the Month and to be nominated for Sportswoman of the Year. It is great to get recognition for ladies golf. My win at the Irish Close this month was a tough game, but I really enjoyed it.
This has been a successful season for my sister and I and I'm looking forward to the competitions ahead this summer.'
There have already been many outstanding months in the golfing careers of the Maguire twins, but this season has proved to be exceptional. Between the twins, they have now won the French, Scottish and Irish amateur titles this season, a remarkable display of domination over their rivals by the 14-year-olds.
Earlier this year, both were victorious on the Ulster team that celebrated their fifth successive win at the Interprovincials and led their school, Loreto College, Cavan, to win the Irish Schools championships.
The sisters have both spoken about how their on-course rivalry helps them to improve their game, the competitive edge between them seemingly driving them both on to a higher level. Leona has said recently that practicing with Lisa helped them both to 'raise' their games. Lisa has compared their rivalry to that of the Williams's tennis sisters – the best of friends away from the action, but once they’re up against each other, in practice or competition, 'you’re out to win'.
