Maguire: “We are at a time where women’s sport is on the up, particularly golf”

Rónán MacNamara in Riyadh

Leona Maguire feels the increased prize funds in the major championships reflects the upward trajectory of women’s golf as she aims to clinch her maiden major title this season.

Prize funds in the five majors will range from $5.2 million to $12 million at the US Women’s Open while this week at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International saw the $5 million purse reach pay parity with the men’s Saudi International and Maguire hopes to cash in on a booming period for women’s golf this year.

“The majors are obviously setting the bar and events like this are fantastic,” she told IrishGolfer.ie in Riyadh. “It’s one of the biggest events on the LET schedule, it’s a massive opportunity for everybody here, we’re all trying to do our best this week.

“We are fortunate to be at a time where women’s sport is on the way up, particularly golf and it’s nice to see it getting the recognition and visibility every year.”

Maguire looks well placed to challenge for major championship honours again this season. She has shown remarkable consistency in the big five events, registering top-18 finishes in all including three top-10s.

The Cavan star has an aptitude for showing up for the big occasion. In 2021, she shot a 61 in the final round of the Evian, tying the lowest 18-hole score in a major. But it was at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last year where she showed she was capable of landing major honours.

Just one week after lifting her second LPGA Tour title, she held her first 54-hole lead in a major. She was unable to close it out but she believes it will be an invaluable experience in her quest to become Ireland’s first female major winner.

“The KPMG last year was a big learning experience, it showed I had the game to contend at a major championship,” she explained.

“It’s just a case of putting four rounds together, they are the toughest tournaments to get right but I feel like I have done some really good work in the off-season and we will just keep trying to build towards them in the months ahead.

“I take confidence from the experience more than anything, knowing I can do it, I can be in the lead, I think the more times you are in those situations the more comfortable you should get and you don’t really know what to expect until you are in that situation, nobody can tell you or describe it. It’s something that you bank each time and hope that it holds you in good stead.”

In truth, becoming world number one and winning a major title is all the 29-year-old has left to achieve in what has already been a fantastic career as a trailblazer for Irish women’s golf.

“It’s not something you dwell on as you’re doing it. I tend to go about my business quite quietly and let everyone else think about things like that,” she said with a sheepish smile.

“I suppose it’s something I will look back on when I am done in 20-years time and realise the significance of things but while you are still playing and competing you are just focusing on the next challenge and trying to get better and better so you don’t have time to dwell on the philosophical and meaning of things as much.”

Women’s golf in Ireland is in a very healthy place. We have two players (Maguire, Stephanie Meadow) on the LPGA Tour while Lauren Walsh and Olivia Mehaffey will battle it out on the Ladies European Tour this term.

Walsh is the first of a highly talented group of young amateurs to turn professional in the last twelve months with Aine Donegan, Sara Byrne, Beth Coulter and Annabel Wilson, to name a few, coming up behind her.

Irish fans will be familiar with Donegan and Byrne with their exploits at the US Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s Irish Open respectively.

“It was fantastic to see Aine do so well in Pebble and I got to play with her in Dromoland she obviously has a couple of years left at LSU and Sara Byrne had a great college year last year,” Maguire added.

“Now with Olivia and Lauren out on the LET aswell it’s nice to have more Irish on the leaderboard every week and hopefully they can go from strength to strength.

“Obviously you want as many Irish girls on tour as possible the same as what the lads had over the year and the more the merrier.”