Leona lurking in bid for "Major" win at Dromoland Castle
Leona Maguire pictured playing the 18th hole on her opening round of the KPMG Women's Irish Open in Dromoland Castle Golf Club, Newmarket On Fergus, Clare today. Pic. Brian Arthur
Leona Maguire confessed winning the KPMG Women's Irish Open would be just one rung below a Major after she holed over 100 feet of putts in a five-under 67 to lurk just two shots off the lead at Dromoland Castle.
The tournament headliner got off to a slow start with a bogey at the first, but while she would drop another shot at the fifth, she sprinkled in seven birdies — including three in a row from the sixth and three in her last four holes — to end the day tied for sixth.
The US Virgin Islands' Alexandra Swaine and Sweden's Lina Boqvist fired seven-under-par 65s to lead by a shot from England's Annabel Dimmock, the Czech Republic's Klara Spilkova and France's Anne-Lise Caudal.
But Maguire (27) was pleased to shake off her jet lag following a long-haul flight from the US west coast last week and keep the leaders in her sights.
"It was a little scrappy in places today, didn't drive the ball as well as I would have liked but putted really nicely," said Maguire, who bogeyed the first and followed a two at the third with another bogey at the fifth before finding her stride.
She made an eight-footer at the sixth, a 25-footer at the seventh and a 20-footer at the eighth to turn in two-under, then made a 14-footer at the par-five 15th, two-putted for birdie at the 248-yard 16th and two-putted again at the 18th after a laser-like 182-yard five-hybrid to 30 feet.
"The greens were rolling really well considering all the rain and an afternoon tee time, so I just rolled it really well today, took advantage of the shorter holes, and you really have to take advantage of those few coming in so nice to birdie three of the last four and give some momentum going into tomorrow.”
As for her jetlag, she said: “I feel good, shooting under par helps, trying to do my very best this week, going to bed early trying to get up early but yeah I'm still not sure what time it is or where I am but we’ll be good for the weekend.”
As for winning her home open, she said: "To win your national open is a big honour. Probably just below the majors, I'd say. Rory has done it, Shane has done it, Pádraig has done it. So it would be nice to give the home fans something to cheer about come Sunday, but there's a long way to go yet."
After putting poorly to miss the cut in Portland on Friday, she was happy to see the putts drop in Co Clare.
“I didn’t have my best game today but you can always save it when you putt well and I'll get the driving straightened out this evening and go again tomorrow,” she said.
“There’s a good mix of holes out there, some really good chances it’s a bit shorter than what we play on the LPGA they moved a few tee boxes around which was a little surprising but you have to deal with whatever is in front of you whether it’s the weather or a different golf course so just enjoy it as much as you can.
“Golf is all about momentum it doesn't take much for to go a bounce here or there and a putt here or there so it was nice to get three birdies in a row on the front nine and hopefully the putter will stay warm for the rest of the week. “
It was also a good day for Ennis school-teacher Aideen Walsh (24), who overcame her pre-tournament nerves and made 17 pars in a row before knocking in a 17-footer at the ninth for a one-under 71 that left her tied 44th.
"I know, that was hilarious," said the Irish international, a member of Lahinch and Dromoland Castle, of her Faldo-esque run of pars. "I actually thought I was going to have all pars. I'm so happy that I birdied the last!
"I hit every green on the front nine, 15 greens altogether, which is really good out there."
Admitting she would have taken 71 before going out, she said: "It's nerves when you're the home one playing in an Irish Open, so I was quite nervous for the back nine, my front nine, so I think I would, definitely."
After such a long wait for the tournament, she was pleased to get going.
“I was actually,” she said. “When I was warming up I was like ‘I’m so happy that we’re getting going now because I’ve been putting in loads of work the last few weeks with the build-up to it and even this week I’ve been here a good bit so it’s always nice just to get going and get one round done, see how you’re getting on and move onto the next one.”
Amateur Marina Joyce Moreno (16) holed a six-iron from 155 yards at the 13th for the first competitive hole-in-one of her career in a 74 that left her tied 93rd with Clandeboye's Rebekah Gardner.
“I saw it flying right on line and landed three metres before the flag and disappeared,” she said. “Anthony my caddie went mad and I thought - a hole in one!
“It was my first hole in a one in a big tournament. I have had one at home at Llavaneras playing with my sister. I was very nervous at the start but I just tried to play my golf and it went well. I had a nice finish and hit a wedge to one metre at my final hole, the ninth.”
Hermitage's Kate Lanigan shot 75, Knock's Katie Poots a 77, Roscommon's Olivia Costello (14) a 79 and Bangor professional Victoria Craig an 80.
KPMG Women’s Irish Open, Dromoland Castle, Co Clare (Par 72)
1st Round
(Irish unless stated, * denotes amateur)
65 A Swayne (ISV), L Boqvist (Swe)
66 A Dimmock (Eng), K Spilkova (Cze), A-L Caudal (Fr)
67 E Arvidsson (Swe), G Cowley (Eng), C Wolf (Aut), A Van Dam (Ned), Leona Maguire, C Williams (Wal), M Thomson (Scot)
68 O Cowan (Ger), J Gustavsson (Swe), M Skarpnord (Nor), N Garcia (RSA), C Gainer (Eng), M Sangkapong (Thai)
69 L Beveridge (Scot), K Henry (Scot),U Wikstrom (Fin), S Bringner (Swe), S Tarning Soenderby (Den), A Meyssonnier (Fr), M Martin (Sp), C Alonso (Sp)
70 N Broch Estrup (Den), L Harm (Ger), P Babnik (Slo), C Alexander (RSA), H Burke (Eng), T Koivisto (Fin), M Folke (Swe), S Schober (Aut), K Lund (Nor), J Melichova (Cze), M MacLaren (Eng), A Pelaez Trivino (Sp), C Chevalier (Fr), L Wessberg (Swe), R Davies (Eng), H Davis (Eng), L Osala (Fin)
71 M Smit (RSA), L Grant (Swe), L Young (Eng), *Aideen Walsh, C Hedwall (Swe), L Pettersson (Swe), L Lewthwaite (RSA), G Iziemgbe Oboh (Ngr), T Melecka (Cze), M Prat (Sp), H Macgarvie (Scot), M Perez (Sp), A Hewson (Eng), B Morgan (Wal), M Simmermacher (Arg), B Brewerton (Wal), J Karlsson (Swe), F Johnson (Eng), L Sobron Galmes (Sp), H Lee (Sp), F Parker (Eng), S Gee (Eng), A Sauzon (Fr)
72 D Sverdloff (Eng), H Tamy Kreuzer (Ger), N Komulainen (Fin), A Maggetti (Swit), V Kapoor (Ind), K Napoleaova (Cze) C Matthew (Scot), E Folch (Sp), V Carta (It), D Dagar (Ind), S Witt (Ger)
73 R Goodall (Eng), L Malchirand (Fr), M Gidali (Fr), N Dlamini (Swaz), E Grechi (Fr), P Marfa Sans (Sp), M Hernandez (Sp), L Gomez Ruiz (Sp), T Malik (Ind), W Hillier (Aus), L Ras-Anderica (Ger), E Price (Eng), K Lampert (Ger), S Bregman (RSA), J Nyqvist (Swe)
74 M Bing Paulsen (Nor), F Friedrich (Ger), *Rebekah Gardner, M De Roey (Bel), L-M Humphreys (Eng), L Taylor (Eng), E Penttila (Fin), K Pogacar (Slo), M Stavnar (Nor), *Marina Joyce Moreno, A Drall (nd)
75 E Tukiainen (Fin), I Deilert (Swe), T Martin (Eng), *Kate Lanigan, T Johnson (Eng), G Blackman (Eng), M Haddioui (Mor), E Nummenpaa (Fin)
76 L Duncan (Scot), V Gimmy (Ger), J Turner (Scot), R Taylor (Scot)
77 L Fuenfstueck (Ger), C Liautier (Fr), G Macdonald (Scot), *Katie Poots
78 L Hall (Wal), L Dittrich (Ger)
79 E Hualde (Sp), *Olivia Costello
80 Victoria Craig, A-C Mora (Fr)
84 P Coffa (Ned).
