Cas Alexander wears a special gold necklace given to her by her husband which depicts the various big game animals associated with South Africa, with the lion featuring prominently.And in closing the deal to capture the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in wire-to-wire fashion on the Palmer South Course at The K Club, the 27-year-old Springbok demonstrated her own strength – both mental and physical – in laying claim to a second career win on the Ladies European Tour and consolidating her position atop the season-long order of merit.On a day of typical autumnal unsettled weather, with dark clouds providing a thunderous melody that caused a short suspension of play of about 25 minutes, Alexander – a five-time runner-up on the LET this year – finally found the code to secure victory, posting a final round 70 for a total of 20-under-par 268, three shots clear of Sara Kouskova of the Czech Republic.Leona Maguire, in her final outing before the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, finished with a 68 for 273, five shots adrift, in tied-fourth to equal her best finish in the Irish Open of 2022. The Cavan golfer posted 14 birdies and just one bogey in her impressive weekend charge, although she had set a target of 20 under as needed to perhaps chase down Alexander.“I didn’t really go into this week with that much expectation. I didn’t put too much pressure on myself and just tried to enjoy the week for what it was. I suppose that might be the strategy going forward,” claimed Maguire, who is a work in progress with some swing changes with coach Sean Foley.Maguire had missed her last three cuts on the LPGA Tour following a tied-eighth in the Scottish Open but clicked into gear in playing catch-up over the weekend.“The scores maybe didn’t reflect that the last couple of weeks, but it was close in Lytham [at the Women’s British Open], it was very close in Portland. Canada wasn’t as far away as it looked. It was nice to just click it all together this week, so hopefully I can take that into the next few weeks,” she said.Leona Maguire takes a selfie with 13-year-old Oscar Martin from Navan after completing her final round. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho