Like in football when a new manager arrives, some Irish players enjoyed a new caddie bounce on day one of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and Áine Donegan was no exception as she fired an impressive three-under 69 in saturating conditions at the K Club.
Leona Maguire and Annabel Wilson enjoyed solid rounds with new faces on the bag and Donegan admits she is already relying heavily on Carlow native Harry Ewing despite this being only their third event together. After a career high T-10 finish at the PIF London Championship a fortnight ago, the new relationship looks a match made in heaven as Donegan looks to retain her card in her rookie LET season.
Both people are outgoing and colourful characters and Ewing, a caddie of five seasons in the women’s game, looks a shrewd addition to Donegan who knows the importance of having a good team around her and a bit of Irish humour can take the stress out of a round.
“I’ve told Harry already how important he is. So far everything has been really, really good. Beth [Coulter] actually said it to me on the course. She said it’s hard to believe it’s only your second week with Harry. We bounce off each other, and we have quite similar personalities. I suppose we’re both kind of big up personalities. So yeah, obviously he’s a very proud Carlow man; I’m very proud to be from Clare, so we chat a bit about that, and I give him a bit of stick. Carlow’s not very good with the GAA! He’s been brilliant, and he’s played a really important role in my career so far.”
Donegan teed off in the worst of the conditions as she battled unrelenting rain in the afternoon. But she admitted it felt stress free as she mixed birdies on the first, fourth, eighth and tenth with only one bogey on the sixth to sit ninth, albeit six shots behind runaway leader Casandra Alexander of South Africa.
She didn’t quite take the Brooks Koepka mindset of only having to beat a certain percentage of the field, but as she cut short her warm up early to take shelter from the rain Ewing reminded her not to use the poor conditions as an excuse but to attack the day instead.
“This morning, before I teed off, we kind of took a little break in my warm-up because it was just pouring, so it wasn’t going to be of any benefit, really, just standing out in the rain. So we went in, and a lot of people were saying, “oh my God, the weather, the weather!’
“I said it to Harry on the range when we were when it was raining before I teed off, and I said, “Everyone’s giving out about the weather, kind of nearly using it already as an excuse to play bad.’ I think Harry had said, let’s go take this today. And we’re in Ireland, obviously. We’re used to a bit of rain here and there, so yeah, that’s basically kind of the expectation I went out with is like don’t let the weather affect your shots and don’t use it as kind of an out.”
This is Donegan’s rookie campaign on the LET and after a bright start in Australia she has missed just two cuts but hasn’t finished inside the top-20. The Lahinch woman is far from satisfied but understands there will be ups and downs. She is giving professional golf everything she has and will explore every avenue she can in search for the marginal gains that will eventually get her to the LPGA Tour, majors and Solheim Cups.
“I think learning from them and obviously the not-so-great events as well. Using Gary, my coach. I work with Donal Scott as well, Karl Morris, my sports psychologist. So, using all my resources and giving it a full go. Gary and I agreed when I turned pro: we’re gonna go for this. We’re not going to take any shortcuts. For example I’ve gone to a new putting coach [Lee Sullivan] and he’s in England and I’m you know what I mean some people were like oh it’s a long way to travel going for a putting lesson but like we’d been told this guy’s one of the best so we went to him and I’ve already seen it within two or three weeks of you know working with him how much my putting has came on.”
The 24-year-old has shown in her career that she has the capability to handle the big occasion. She made the cut as an amateur at the US Women’s Open in 2023 and was in the mix with Charley Hull in London as she won over €36,000. She has also played in Women’s Irish Opens before. She arrived at the K Club this week with a sense of belonging. It’s about finding consistency.
“I was four under through seven the last round playing with Charley and Anna, and I’m not quite sure what they were- maybe one under or whatever. And like, I know I can compete with them. It’s just doing it more consistently is something that I really need to work towards. And I’ve obviously seen it in the bigger events I’ve played in. You know what I mean? Like, I think like on my good day, I’m good enough. It’s just on my bad day, I’m probably not.”
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