Leona Maguire chasing second LPGA win after sizzling 65 in Grand Rapids
Leona Maguire of Ireland hits her tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round for the 2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club on June 23, 2022 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Matthew Harris/PGA of America)
Leona Maguire looks to be building up steam for next week's KPMG Women's PGA after a sensational second-round 65 left her just a shot off the lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.
The Co Cavan star produced a scintillating finish, picking up six shots in her last seven holes to jump into a tie for second behind Ayaka Furue at Blythefield Country Club.
The Japanese star shot 67 to lead on 11-under par, but world number 20 Maguire is tied for second with Koreans Hyo Joo Kim and Amy Yang and Spain's Carlota Ciganda and looking to go one better than last year’s playoff defeat.
Tied for 24th overnight after an opening 69, she turned in one-under but bogeyed the par-five 10th before going on a tear down the stretch.
She made four birdies in a row from the 12th, rolling in a six-footer there before following another birdie from two feet at the 13th with a two-putt birdie at the 14th and another from 10 feet at the 15th.
"I was really dialled in on those holes," she said.
She was disappointed not to convert a good birdie chance at the 16th, but after making a great par save at the 17th, she hit two three-woods pin high at the par-five 18th and rolled in a 15-footer up the hill for a closing eagle three.
"The goal today was to take advantage of the par-5s, so did that a little bit better today," she said. "Hit a bad shot on 10. That was a costly bogey. Kind of stopped my momentum for the front.
“But I got right back into it, and it was nice to go on that run 12, 13, 14, 15. Yeah, obviously a bonus to finish with an eagle at the end."
She knew she had to go low on a hot scoring day and hopes to take that momentum into the weekend and next week's Major at Baltusrol.
"Yeah, 100 pc," she said of the momentum she takes into the weekend. "Everybody is going low. You feel like you have to go low; you have to be making birdies to even just stay in position, let alone move up. Yeah, just more of the same over the weekend."
She's looking to go one better than 12 months ago when she closed with a 65 to make a playoff with eventual winner Jennifer Kupcho and Nelly Korda.
"Yeah, I think I was just too far back on Sunday last year," she said. "Obviously had a really good Sunday, but was too far back. I kind of did the opposite of what I did the year before. I had a really good Thursday and Friday in '21 and then in '22, I had a really good Sunday.
"So, trying to be a bit more consistent this year, hopefully, and just put two more good rounds together over the weekend."
She's feeling good about her game heading to Baltusrol after a recent visit to Florida from her coach Shane O'Grady.
"I think it's just steadily been getting better and better," she said of her recent form that's brought her top-five finishes in the LPGA Match Play and the Mizuho Americas Open. "Saw my coach last week down in Orlando. Came over for a few days, so we were just kind of fine-tuning.
"There are no major changes needed. I drove the ball really, really well yesterday, but not quite as well today.
"Yeah, you just need to be doing everything solid around here, which is nice prep going into a major next week."
Stephanie Meadow also had a good day, making five birdies in a three-under 69 to share 27th on five-under.
