Leona Maguire has parted ways with caddie Dermot Byrne just two weeks after winning on the Ladies European Tour for the first time.
Maguire and Bray native Byrne linked up in the middle of the 2021 season and she went on a historic run on the LPGA Tour, becoming the first and only Irish female golfer to win in America when she picked up the Drive On Championship in 2022.
Maguire secured her second LPGA Tour victory at the Meijer Classic in 2023 and went on to break into the top-10 of the Rolex World Rankings.
Alongside Byrne, she became a key player for Europe in their Solheim Cup successes, producing a record rookie performance with 4.5 points from 5 at the 2021 edition in Ohio as the continent won on US soil for just the second time before helping Europe to three wins in a row in Finca Cortesin last September.
Just a fortnight ago, the Cavan star eagled the last at the Centurion Club to win her maiden Ladies European Tour title at the Aramco Series in London for her third win with Byrne as caddie.
Last week’s missed cut at The Evian Championship, where she shot the lowest ever final round score, by any golfer male or female in 2021 proved to be their last event as a partnership.
Maguire’s manager, Mark McDonnell of Modest! Golf Management said: “Leona and Dermot have had a great run together and they’ve achieved great success in the years together. It was just time for both of them to start something new.”
Byrne has previously caddied for Shane Lowry and Peter Lawrie during a successful career on tour.