Scheduling ‘puzzle’ a major challenge for Leona in 2024
The Irish Golf Writers’ Association named Leona Maguire the recipient of the 2023 Women’s Professional of the Year this week.
Leona Maguire is targeting the majors, Olympic gold and more Solheim Cup success in 2024 but she admits she must solve her scheduling "puzzle" if she's to enjoy another banner season.
Named the McGuirk's sponsored Women's Professional of the Year by the Irish Golf Writers' Association earlier this week, the Co Cavan battler knows she has the game to become the first Irish woman to win a major title.
“It’s great to be receiving this award,” she said. “It’s hard to believe it’s my seventh award from the IGWA going all the way back to Lisa and I being honoured in 2008. It was another winning season on the LPGA for me and it’s a nice feeling that the Irish Golf Writers’ Association have selected me for the award.
“I am really looking forward to next year already and trying to win more. 2024 is going to be a huge year with five Majors, the Olympic Games and a Solheim Cup. Hopefully, we are having this conversation this time next year off the back of another great year!”
The Ballyconnell star (29) came close to winning a major when she took a one-shot lead into the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA at Baltusrol in June but jaded by her second LPGA Tour win in the Meijer LPGA Classic the previous Sunday, she closed with a 74 to finish four shots behind China's Ruoning Yin in a tie for 11th.
"Any year you win, it's obviously a really good year," said Maguire, who broke into the world's top 10 after Baltusrol but fell back to 25th after failing to get much momentum in the second half of the year
"I think you've seen in the last five years, even on the LPGA, how hard it is to win. You can see how long Lexi (Thompson) has gone without a win and Lydia didn't win this year.
“It’s hard to believe it’s my seventh award from the IGWA going all the way back to Lisa and I being honoured in 2008”
"There are a lot of good players that played some very good golf this year but didn't win. So yeah, anytime you can win, it's always nice.
"Obviously, Baltusrol, I'd like to have that final round back, but at the same time, it was a big learning curve for next year and also a real positive, knowing that I can contend on arguably the hardest golf course of the year."
She added: "I know when I have my A game, it's good enough to compete with the best. It's just a case of getting that a little bit more consistent, week in and week out.
"Generally, the weeks I putted the best this year were the weeks I contended the most. So it's just making sure that is consistent as well.
"I struggled this year, transferring from the fast greens in America to the slower greens in Europe in the summer. So that's something I have to do a better job next year.
“I didn’t putt well (in the AIG Women’s Open) at Walton Heath and didn’t putt well at Dromoland either.
“I got it going again for Solheim and stuff like that. But I need to do a better job of adjusting to that. And some of that was coming off the back of majors. It's just learning to adapt a bit more.
“I think we're all still learning. It's year four in the books (as a professional). It seems like a long time. But at the same time, it’s only four years. It's not that long.”
Winning the Sunday before the Women's PGA drained Maguire, who admits scheduling remains a major challenge.
"I think the big thing was I probably underestimated how much (winning) Meijer had taken out of me the week before," she admitted. "I would say I got my schedule wrong this summer.
"I ended up having to take quite a big break before the Irish Open and missed some of the events, and then it was a bit stop-start, and I didn't get any momentum to finish off the year.
"So I think I'm going to have to very carefully plan out next year with five majors and the Olympics and the Solheim Cup again. It's going to be a big, big summer, and it's not easy to get the schedule right.
“Just when you think you have it all figured out and how many events you need to play and how to work into the majors and all the rest, I’m still figuring that out. I haven't quite got that piece of the puzzle yet. But there are many big tournaments to look forward to next year.”
As for 2023, her LPGA win and her sensational performance for Europe in the drawn Solheim Cup in Spain, which saw Europe lift the Waterford Crystal trophy for an unprecedented third time in a row, were the obvious high points.
“The Solheim Cup was one of the highlights of the year as well,” she said. “That was a lot of fun and getting to experience it all on this side of the pond with the fans of the crowds and all that was great and the Irish Open as well was a huge success again. So, there are lots of positives to take into next year.
Europe can make history by becoming the first team to lift the trophy four years running at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia from 10-14 September next year as the event moves to even-numbered years.
But Maguire knows Europe and skipper Suzann Pettersen will be up for the fight.
“(The Solheim) was a great week,” she said. “I mean, another one next year, I think we’ll have a very tough task. I imagine the Americans will pull out all the stops.
“Winning that would be four in a row, and that’s never been done before. So you're moving into new territory all the time. It’s a challenge, but Suzann loves a challenge more than anybody. She's already asked for feedback from this time around. So I know she's, she's already getting ready.
“The first job is to make sure I'm on the plane going to DC. But at Finca Cortesin, where the Irish people went over in their droves, one of the most impressive things to see that sort of support.
“It felt like we were almost in Ireland rather than the south of Spain. That was really cool and I think for Mum and Dad as well because they didn't get to experience that the last time.”
As for Portmarnock's hopes of staging the AIG Women's Open and the R&A's enthusiasm for the venue, she said: "I'd love that. I like Portmarnock."
