Leona Maguire finished with a rush of birdies including three in a row as she delighted the packed galleries and gained some much needed momentum heading into the Solheim Cup.
Playing alongside her Solheim Cup teammate Georgia Hall, the pair provided a classy support act to the main event on Sunday at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open with both players shooting their lowest rounds of the week (68) to finish inside the top-15 on ten-under-par.
A cold putter is the reason why Maguire was not challenging alongside leaders Annabel Dimmock and Ursula Wikstrom at Carton House Fairmont but over 9,000 fans poured through the gates this morning with what seemed like at least 8,000 roaring her to four birdies in her last six holes.
“I felt like I was in very much control of my game. I didn’t do a hole lot wrong again, 16 greens in regulation again and just holed a couple on the back coming in. hit a few nice shots and like I said I felt like it was very fine margins this week, it was 10-under but it could have been 25-under very easily but nice to finish on some momentum,” said Maguire who will have a week off before jetting off to Virginia.
“The crowds are fantastic again and they were in for a real treat, Georgia played well as well so a Solheim glimpse the fans that came out got.
“It didn’t feel like I holed anything on the front but made a nice birdie on 13 and then another nice birdie on 15 and hit it in close on 16 and got up close on 17 so it was nice to finish with that strong finish in those last five holes and give the home fans that came out to support, I think the crowds were fantastic the last couple of days especially, so nice to give them something to cheer about.
“You want a world class field at this event and people came out to watch birdies so it was nice that both of us, Georgia went on a birdie run on the front I went on a bit of a birdie run on the back, so nice to give people something to cheer about and show how good ladies golf is.”
Maguire will have a corporate day on Monday before heading to Croker with her good pal Olivia Mehaffey to enjoy the bright lights of Coldplay before obtaining a VISA to travel to next week’s Solheim Cup.
“It is nice to finish out with the best round of the week on Sunday and we will get a little bit of a break, it has been a busy run for the both of us, four weeks in a row, a bit of rest this week and looking forward to Solheim in a couple of weeks time,” added Maguire who hit sixteen out of eighteen greens in her final round.
The Cavan woman has no interest in being on the periphery of things on a Sunday at the Irish Open but she was still the main attraction for much of the day and was mobbed by adoring fans as she left the 18th green.
“I am very lucky to have the support I do. It has been fantastic this week as always, so many kids out and hopefully there is a few of them that’s inspired this week to keep going or to take it up.”
Nothing has been confirmed, but Carton House would like to host the KPMG Women’s Irish Open again next year but also shift the date to a summer slot in June or July to avoid a clash with the men’s Irish Open which looks at home in its September date.
Maguire had called for a date closer to the Evian Championship in July and has been seriously encouraged by the show that has been put on at the three Women’s Irish Open editions since it returned to the schedule in 2022.
There is a real sense of ‘build it and they will come’ when it comes to this event and Maguire hopes it can ride the wave of momentum that women’s sport in this country has.
“I think you see the progress it has made in the last few years. It is getting bigger and bigger every year. I think Irish sport is in a very good place. It is fantastic to see 13 girls in the field this week and not just golf, all the sports. You see it with the women’s soccer team, you see with athletics, there is quite a buzz about women’s sport in this country right now which is fantastic. There is a long way to go obviously but we are moving in the right direction.
“I think it was a really good venue (Carton) and a little bit nicer for people to make the journey out, closer to Dublin as well but that said I think Dromoland did a phenomenal job as well the first two years so it’s hard to say one was better than the other.”