Stephanie Meadow will need to at least make the cut at today’s starting Pelican Women’s Championship if she’s to give herself a chance of retaining full playing privileges on the LPGA Tour next season.
Meadow arrives at Pelican Golf Club in Florida lying in 101st on the Race to CME Globe having struggled for much of the year off the back of her most consistent campaign in 2020.
Pressure is on this week for the 29-year old to break back inside the top-100 but it’s nothing she hasn’t been able to handle before; not least when she finished birdie-birdie at the Volunteers of America Classic two year ago to cling to her card with the ultimate clutch showing.
“I am only one point back this time whereas before [in 2019], I was a long way back, and I needed a top seven,” Meadow told Irish Golf Desk.
“Yes, I don’t want to be in this position, but it’s not like I need an absolute top-10. I just need to play decent but being able to say that I’ve done it before and not collapsed is definitely a good thing. I wish I wasn’t in the spot, but it is what it is.”
Meadow will be further buoyed by the fact that 12 months ago at this very same venue she recorded a career-best finish on the LPGA Tour with a tied-third result in Belleair.
Leona Maguire is also in the field this week and she’s backing her Irish Olympic teammate to pull a performance out of the fire when she needs it most.
“I think Steph is a very gritty player and person,” Maguire said.
“She never gives up and she has a lot of self-belief. She played well here last year so it’s nice for her to come back to a venue she knows she’s done well at. A couple of years ago she holed that putt in Dallas to get her card. She knows what it takes, and she’ll not give up.”
Maguire is on her own mission and won’t be giving up her hopes of a maiden Tour win despite some indifferent form in the past few weeks. The schedule has been quite disjointed for the Cavan star since her Solheim Cup exploits with Maguire missing the cut at the Founders before failing to break 70 in a tie for 61st at the BMW Ladies Championship in two outings last month.
The 26-year old sits in 16th spot on the Race to CME Globe so is safely through to the Tour Championship next week in Naples but Maguire will be determined to arrive there with confidence as she looks to finish a breakthrough season on a high in Florida.
Thursday’s tee-times (Irish time)
- 12.55pm – Maguire
- 1.17pm – Meadow
- Full scoring HERE
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