Leona Maguire is getting set to represent Ireland for the third time at the Women’s Olympic Golf event at Le Golf National, and after watching the drama unfold as Scottie Scheffler went on to secure Gold thanks to a back-nine 29 on Sunday, the Cavan superstar feels that the water-heavy holes on the back nine may actually be easier than those on the front.
Speaking alongside fellow Irish teammate Stephanie Meadow, Maguire, who got her first look at Le Golf National on Sunday evening following the conclusion of the men’s event, feels that the bunkers in particular have the potential to wreak havoc on a course where inaccuracy will prove penal throughout.
“Apart from the opening two holes, not a whole lot of water on the front,” she said. “I think there’s some of the holes on the front nine where bunkers are more the issue, I would say. That’s one of the things we’ve noticed this week. The bunkers are incredibly difficult, especially the greens that bunkers, there’s no sand in them at all. They are going to be very penal. I don’t know how the guys managed it. We don’t spin it the way the guys do, and I think the bunkers are going to be extremely tricky.
“I know they are cutting the rough down around the tee shots but it’s very thick around the greens. Especially the front nine it’s very much a premium on hitting fairways and hitting greens. You will have plenty of chances if you hit fairways and greens but at the same time, if you miss a fairway you’re just going to be pitching out. If you miss a green, it’s a flop shot from everywhere. It’s hit it as hard as you can and hope that the ball moves sometimes.
“Both nines are demanding but demanding in different ways and the greens are firming up quite a bit. I played the back nine today sort of 15, 16, 17, 18, those greens are getting pretty firm. So coming into those, even 18 will be a decision downwind whether you can stop the ball on that green depending on what club you’re coming in with. It might be perfectly short enough to hit in two, but it’s a case of whether you can hole that green or not or feel better laying up and hitting a pitch in. There’s going to be a decent amount of strategy required but obviously yeah, focus on execution at the same time.”
The Albatros Course at Le Golf National has staged some of the biggest events in golf, most notably the 2018 Ryder Cup, prior to hosting the elite men’s Olympic competition last week, but this is the first time the game’s top women will compete on it and Maguire feels that it’s something of a hybrid course, similar in some ways to the traditional courses played on the LPGA Tour but with subtle differences.
“I think it’s a mix of a lot of different courses we play,” she said. “A lot of holes look linksy. Doesn’t play linksy but the dunes and the way some of the greens are shaped, they almost look linksy, and you’ve obviously got a lot of water. It’s a bit more American style.
“I think it is a real mix. So of course, like I said, it just tests all aspects of your game. You’re just going to have to drive it well and have really good control over your approach shots into the green. Ultimately like any major any tournament whoever holes the right putts at the right time is going to be successful this week.”
Having become the first Irish woman to represent Europe in the Solheim Cup, Maguire knows a thing or two about playing for something greater than yourself, and with 30 Major Championship appearances under her belt, she’s no stranger to the big occasion.
But the Olympic Games hits different, as she has the opportunity to represent her home country and she knows that the Olympics attracts an audience that wouldn’t normally tune in to golf, much like the Solheim Cup did when she made her historic first appearance.
“It’s the Olympic Games. It’s the biggest sporting event in the world,” she explained. “For me my first experience at the Solheim Cup, one of the cool things I took away from it back home in Ireland, a lot of people watched golf and a lot of people watched women’s golf for the first time that would never normally watch women’s sport or women’s golf. And I think the same is probably true of the Olympic Games as well. I met quite a few Irish people walking around over the weekend.
“Yeah, it’s a special event, and any time you get to represent your country is a huge honour. But to get to do it at an Olympic Games is even more special. I was at home this past week in Ireland, and the buzz around the country everyone and was talking about we won medals in the pool for the first time in a long time and there’s a boxing medal coming up tonight.
“This is the most successful Games for Ireland ever. We just won in the Olympics, and it’s very cool to see Irish people succeeding on the world stage. You want to be part of that. You’re sitting home watching and you want to see the Irish flag go up on the podium and even better if the National Anthem gets played.
“I think you saw it with Scottie on Sunday, everything he’s won, he’s practically won everything, and how much it meant to him. You saw if with Djokovic as well, he’s done everything in tennis and it seemed to mean an awful lot to him.
“It’s hard to compare to a major and it’s hard to compare to a Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup. I think, yeah, this week is going to be a very special week either way, and then yeah, it’s get surreal that it’s the Olympics already. It’s gone by pretty quick. Excited to start tomorrow and hoping we can do our best.”