Story/Photos by Chris Yucus
It was never in doubt.
Paige Pierce finished off a dominant tournament run in the women's pro division Sunday to claim the 2021 Ledgestone Insurance Open FPO title.
Pierce came into Sunday's final round at Northwood Black in Morton with a nine-stroke lead on the field. Not content to coast, she closed out the tournament strong with the hot round of the day. Pierce’s 989-rated, one-under round of 67 helped her finish -19 for the tournament,11 strokes up on the field.
Pierce credited a huge eagle on Hole 6 during Thursday’s opening round at Northwood Black with jumpstarting a Ledgestone run that saw her stay atop the leaderboard for all four rounds of play.
“I started the event with three bogeys in a row. Then after that eagle on six my full demeanor changed. Like, I’m capable of anything. I know I am,” Pierce said. “So it was cool to find that confidence again and keep it all weekend long.”
The Ledgestone FPO title was the second for Pierce, who also won the tournament in 2019.
Missy Gannon claimed the battle for second place amongst the pro women. The Team Discraft pro shot a one-over round of 69 Sunday to finish -8 for the tournament, three strokes ahead of fellow lead-card mate Sarah Hokom in third (-5).
“It feels good. It was tight the whole way through until about the last few holes. I capitalized on a few good birdies late on some pretty tough holes,” Gannon said.
Rounding out the top-five FPO division finishes for Ledgestone 2021 were Valerie Mandujano (4th, -4), Hailey King (t-5th, -3), and Maria Oliva (t-5th, -3).
Paige Pierce led wire-to-wire to claim the 2021 Ledgestone FPO title.
Missy Gannon holds her second-place trophy in the Ledgestone FPO division.
