There’s no question about who the star attraction is at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, hosted at the Carton House, a reputable Fairmont resort. The face plastered on the massive entrance billboard is none other than Leona Maguire. She’s a Solheim Cup celebrity, has won several LPGA Tours, and recently added a Ladies European Tour to her list of achievements. Her performance during the first round on the O’Meara course did not disappoint the multitude of supporters who followed her.
Scoring an impressive 70 in a bogey-free round with 15 pars and three birdies, Maguire displayed her skills with a par putt on the 18th green. Her round earned her hearty applause from the crowd in the mixed grandstand and corporate hospitality area. Her success was underlined by an aura that her score could have been, and likely should have been, lower.
Mirah Mijumbi, a nine-year-old enthusiastic golfer from Roganstown, was starstruck when she met Maguire. She has her own important game lined up at Royal Portrush next week and looks towards Maguire as a source of inspiration. She asked for a photo with Maguire, a request which was promptly fulfilled by Maguire’s manager, Mark McDonnell, who played photographer for the moment.
Over the past five hours, Maguire concentrated heavily on her game. Her shots were consistent, primarily hitting the fairways and consistently making the greens in regulation. An unexpected disappointment came on the very first hole, where an eagle putt, surprisingly, didn’t fall. When asked about it, Maguire, showing her sportsmanship, laughed and said, “There were a few puzzling moments out there; but it’s good in a way as I didn’t exhaust any of my luck today.”
Maguire began with a commendable 70, placing her just a duo of shots behind the top three – Alessandra Fanali, Ursula Wikstrom, and Luna Sobron Galmes – and amply ready to contend.
“I hit several impressive putts on the first nine, nearly sinking a handful, while maintaining patience. I saw plenty of opportunities, yet the ball placement was rather precarious on the minor inclines. My putts frequently curved just before reaching the hole, quite unexpected. Nonetheless, I’m satisfied with my performance. The challenge remains to sink more putts in the coming days.
The aim is to provide myself as many opportunities as possible. I sense that an outstanding low score is achievable with patience and the right number of putts”, Maguire remarked while discussing the greens that were clocked at 11 on the stimpmeter.
“The downhill shots are noticeably quick, coupled with several downward slopes – cunningly subtle. The appeal lies in the rhythm of the shot which requires assertiveness to breach the hole. The approach is often misleading and requires precision to avoid recurring three, four, and five-footers. Therefore, striking the right balance was essential,” she explained.