Leona Maguire has endured a disappointing season to date but she knows that progress is not always linear in golf as she looks to Rory McIlroy for inspiration ahead of a blockbuster summer schedule which includes three majors and the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
From a career high 10th in the world to 82nd in the space of two years, Maguire has suffered a slump in her game despite winning on the Ladies European Tour last year. But she is determined to keep plugging away so much so that she has taken a scouting mission Fields Ranch ahead of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in a fortnight.
The two-time LPGA Tour winner will have plenty of opportunities to climb back up the Rolex World Rankings at the Evian and AIG Women’s Open Championships with a home date at Carton House also packed into a manic five-week period.
Maguire has long been expected to win a major with the Women’s Open often pinned as her best bet, but the 30-year-old is not bothered by the expectation of others and still dreams of following in the footsteps of her male counterparts.
“I think any golfer wants to win a major,” said Maguire who admitted she was inspired by McIlroy’s Masters win in April.
“I mean, you see how much it meant to Rory to win the Masters a few weeks ago after having such a long break from winning his last one.
“But at the same time, it also shows how hard they are to win. The standard of golf now is so high you need a lot of things to go right for you at the right time.
“Ultimately, you’re just trying to put yourself in contention as much as you can and keep giving yourself a chance and then hopefully be in the right place at the right time come Sunday.
“I think Rory’s journey resonated with everyone because it shows the highs and lows of sport and life in general.
“It was fantastic to see him achieve something he’s worked his whole life for, and it’s not easy, and the line is not always straight.”
Maguire would also love to tick off a home open win at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and also follow in the footsteps of McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington next month.
“It’d mean an awful lot,” said Maguire, who will be joined by Lauren Walsh, Anna Foster, Sara Byrne, Annabel Wilson, Olivia Costello and others.
“Obviously, for any golfer to win your National Open would be a huge honour. Rory’s done it, Pádraig’s done it, and Shane’s done it, so it’d be nice for the home fans to have some home golfers in contention come Sunday. It’s not just me.”
Maguire was upbeat about her performance at last week’s US Women’s Open, missing just two fairways off the tee despite a third successive missed cut of the season.
However, she was critical of the remote location of Erin Hills which may have served up a cracking tournament but did not attract sizeable crowds
Maguire expects bumper crowds at Carton House this year.
“One of the criticisms of Erin Hills last week was that it was a fantastic golf course, but there was nobody there because it was in the middle of nowhere, and it looked poor on TV,” she said.
“So, if anything, the Irish Open had bigger crowds than the US Open had last week.”
Maguire came close to winning at Dromoland Castle three years ago and she wold love to have another title tilt this time around.
“The crowds down there were unbelievable and getting behind me,” she said.
“So it’d be nice to replicate that and go even a little bit better in Carton House.”
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