Leona clicks with 66 as Meadow clocks first ace on tour
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 03: Leona Maguire of Ireland hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club on February 03, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
LEONA MAGUIRE shook off her early-season rust and birdied five of her last six holes to open with a sensational six-under 66 in the LPGA Drive On Championship in Florida.
The Solheim Cup star recovered from an "annoying" bogey six at her third hole and flighted the ball brilliantly in the wind, reeling off birdies at the 13th, 14th and 18th before following another bogey at the first with birdies at the fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth.
Her 66 left her tied for third with Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit and Sweden's Linnea Johansson, one stroke behind Marina Alex and Japan's Nasa Hataoka, who carded seven-under 65s at a windswept Crown Colony Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers.
There are just two rounds to go in a 54-hole event, but Maguire’s determined to remain patient in her quest for her maiden LPGA Tour win.
"You don't want to force anything," she said of the windy conditions. "You just want to take your chances where you get them. I was fortunate enough to have quite a few chances today and, for the most part, took them."
As for the course of her round, she said: “Yeah, got off to a little bit of a slow start, or slower than I would've liked, but I think the back nine is playing tougher this week, so it was nice to turn at 2-under. Made a good birdie on 18 to sort of get the round going again and just finished really strong.
“Gave myself a lot of chances on the short holes. My wedged were really good, so that helped a lot. Hit two of the par-5s in two as well on the front side, so yeah, pretty stress-free birdies on those.
“And then just solid. Hit a lot more greens today than I did last week. Something I struggled -- I didn't really feel that comfortable last week; a lot more comfortable today. Drove the ball a lot better.”
Stephanie Meadow had mixed emotions after she flighted a six-iron into the hole at the 14th (her fifth) for her first hole-in-one on the LPGA Tour but faded to a one-over 73.
"I had a perfect number, little 6-iron," Meadow said. “it was a little bit windy, and, I don't know, striped it right at it. Wind never touched it and just rolled right up there into the hole.
“Yeah, it's been a while since I had a hole-in-one and first one in LPGA career, in a tournament, so, yeah, it's very nice.”
She added: "Then two holes later I pull a 7-iron, hits a sprinkler two yards left of the green and ricochets thirty yards left into a hazard."
Despite dropping three shots coming home, she was pleased her ace generated a $20,000 donation from sponsors CME to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"It's amazing," Meadow said. "Twenty grand, it's a lot of money and can help someone. Who knows who it will help, but I know it will help a very important person."
In Saudi Arabia, Matteo Manassero upstaged 20 of the world's top 50 when he made eight birdies in a bogey-free 62 to lead the PIF Saudi International by two shots.
The Italian (28) rose as high as 25th in the world after winning the 2013 BMW PGA Championship before losing his way and crashing to 1,802nd two years ago.
"In late 2018, I started afresh," said Manassero, who played on the third tier Alps Tour as well as the Challenge Tour last year. "I couldn't play anymore, really. I was scared of where the ball was going."
Shane Lowry was tied 32nd after a two-under 68 with former champion Graeme McDowell 85th after three-putts in a three-over 73 and Cormac Sharvin 100th after a 74.
In the UAE, Pádraig Harrington continued his fast start to the season when he overcame a slow start to open with a three-under 69 in the Ras al Khaimah Championship.
Two over after six holes, he knocked in a 16 footer at the 17th before racing home in four-under 32 as he eagled the 576-yard third with a 226-yard approach to six feet and then closed with back-to-back birdies.
He was tied for 17th, four shots behind Scotland's Scott Jamieson and Germany's Sebastian Hiesele, who fired seven-under 65s to lead by a shot at Al Hamra Golf Club, where Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell and Newtownabbey teenager Tom McKibbin (19) were tied 44th after opening with one-under 71s.