Leona Maguire continued her hot streak as the Cavan woman got off to a flying start at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, and found herself with a share of the lead after the morning wave had all completed their rounds.
A hole-out eagle from the fairway on her opening hole – the 10th – was the perfect start, and she added three further birdies on 17, one and two to card a bogey-free five-under par round of 67.
“Couldn’t really ask for a better start,” she said after signing her card on the LET and LPGA co-sanctioned event. “Holed out with a 9-iron on 10, our first hole today in pretty much perfect conditions for most of the front nine. Tried to take advantage of that as much as I could.”
Maguire recorded her first hole-in-one on the LPGA Tour at the Evian Championship on the shores of Lake Geneva a fortnight ago, enroute to her first top-10 finish in a major championship since 2022, and though she admits that there’s always a minor stroke of fortune required for a ball to find the bottom of the cup rather than settling inches away, it’s a sign that her approach play – which had been one of the sharpest weapons in her arsenal on her rise in the pro ranks – is back where she wants it to be.
“It’s always a bonus when those sort of shots go in and [I] hit the flag even on 18 as well with my pitch in,” she added. “My approach is nicely dialed and first week, put in a new caddie. He was joking, he might as well have walked in after the first but nice start to the feedback.”
Since splitting with longtime caddie Dermot Byrne last summer, Maguire had Shane O’Connell on the bag but reunited with Byrne for a few weeks prior to him taking up looping duties for the the up-and-coming Lottie Woad, but in Phil ‘Wobbly’ Morley, she has a caddie with supreme pedigree and a major title to his name having shepherded Ian Woosnam to his Masters victory in 1991 and caddied in eight Ryder Cups.
“Yeah, I mean, he was working for Thorbjørn [Olesen] who is also at my management company and just set it up,” she explained. “He’s a legend of the game. He’s caddied for some big players. I have big shoes to fill but nice to have his expertise and experience on the bag. Yeah, his first time on the ladies, so still a little bit of a learning adjustment for both of us but I think we handled it pretty well day one.”
As one of the earliest starters, Maguire was happy to be able to take advantage of the calm, early morning conditions and is hoping that she can maintain her recent form.
“I think you never mind being one of the first out on links,” she said. “Always try and take advantage of the more benign conditions where you can. So, yeah, took advantage of them and try and build on the momentum tomorrow.
“I had obviously been playing well coming into the Irish [KPMG Women’s Irish Open] and it was a busy week and a bit tired and all the rest but I suppose the energy of the crowd and all that sort of spurred me on as well. Try and ride the momentum coming off Evian last week.”
Though her formative years were spent on the lush, parkland setting at the Slieve Russell in County Cavan, she’s a more than accomplished links golf player and has been reacquainting herself with links terrain over the 10 days that followed the Evian Championship and she’s got an eye on Royal Porthcawl and the AIG Women’s Open next week.
“I like it,” she divulged. “I grew up playing quite a lot in our amateur days and stuff like that. Don’t get to do it often anymore. Played some golf at Ireland week and went to Portmarnock, that was nice prep. This is not the firmest but you still have to be creative with the wind and things like that. Hopefully the course will keep drying out as the week goes on and we’ll get more linksy.
“Yeah, that’s the defense of a lot of links courses is that wee bit of wind and we kind of got that on our last five holes when we turned to come in. I think bit by bit, sort of you hope for good prep ahead of Porthcawl next week. So the more sort of linksier the conditions the better.”
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