Leona Maguire says outgoing captain Suzann Pettersen is backing her to “carry the torch” for Europe in future Solheim Cups and insists there is “absolutely no animosity, no bad blood” between them.

Europe were beaten 15½-12½ by the United States in Virginia in September with Cavan star Maguire — who was Europe’s lynchpin in 2021 and 2023 — sensationally picked just once by Pettersen before the singles.

Maguire, who has crashed from 10th to 50th in the world over the past 18 months and just endured his worst US season since joining the LPGA Tour in 2020, made no secret of her frustration at the time.

She admitted at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club that her snub was a “bitter pill to swallow” and confessed after her 4&3 demolition of Ally Ewing in the singles that “there probably was a little bit extra (motivation) there, not going to lie.”

“Form is temporary, class is permanent,” Maguire pointedly wrote on social media shortly afterwards.
Pettersen insisted she had no regrets about her decisions but Maguire (30) revealed yesterday that while she still does not agree with the Norwegian’s reasons for leaving her out, they retain their mutual respect.

“I think the general consensus was that me and Suzann weren't on good terms,” Maguire said in a teleconference for sponsors KPMG.

“I mean, Suzann’s been a hero of mine since I was 14 years old, and played with her in the Irish Open at Killeen Castle. And she's always been someone I've looked up to. I have an incredible amount of respect for and we actually get very well.  

“She relied heavily on me (in the 2023 Solheim Cup) in Finca and ultimately, she wanted to do what she thought was best to help the team win.  

“We were faced with very tough opposition, and she had certain stats and people she employed this year that felt that other people were better choices, and that's ultimately the choice they made.  

“We've had discussions since. Some things we agree on, some things we don't, but there's absolutely no animosity, no bad blood.  

“The way we left it was she said to me that she thought I was the one to carry the torch going forward for the European team, and she'd be there on the on the sidelines, cheering us on. So there was a lot more made of it than what it was.”

While she won the Aramco Team Series-London and her first LET title with a clutch eagle at the final hole, Maguire recorded just one top 10 on the LPGA Tour and finished 58th in the rankings, which was her worst performance in the US since she finished 59th in her COVID-affected rookie season in 2020.

But while she missed the cut in three of the five majors, finished second last in the Olympics due to illness and surprisingly split with her caddie Dermot Byrne in mid-season, the Ballyconnell star was looking at the positives.

“Even though it maybe wasn't as good a year as I’ve had in the past, it was still full of a lot of great golf, and I still made my way to the Tour Championship at the end of the year,”  she said.  

“I feel like I worked harder this year than I have any other year, and it just it didn't quite show in the results. But at the same time, I know it's close; I know it's in there.

“I know what I can do under pressure when I need to, like what I did in London, and I suppose if this year is the worst it gets, I don't really have much to complain about.”

Maguire is one of the more intense characters on the LPGA Tour, especially wehen it comes to practice.

But while she admitted she’d been working on the mental aspect of the game since her summer split with Byrne after two and a half years together, she refused to elaborate on the reasons for the break up.

“I think people that are involved know the reason behind it, and Dermot is not here to talk for himself,” she said.

“So I think it'd be unfair for me to go into the details of it, but I will say this time last year would have been a very unexpected decision, but for those familiar with the situation, it wasn't unexpected.  

“We enjoyed a few great years together, and I was obviously very grateful for all his help and guidance. Certain situations arose that it made it not not possible to continue working together. And yeah, I wish him all the very best.”

As for her challenges with technique, she admitted she might have neglected her short game and putting as efforts to gain driving distance led to a loss of accuracy.

“I leaned more towards a draw to get a little bit more distance off the tee and as the year went on, we kind of scaled back a little bit, tried to get a bit more neutral again, and tried to get back to a bit more of my left to right flight,” she said.  

“It was just in the process of that that I got a little bit caught between the two, and ended up with a few bigger misses with my driver, which caused a little bit of bother.

“Maybe that took away from the putting a little bit so I will be making sure I keep that a bit more even next year, making sure everything has the right amount of attention.”

The KPMG research, conducted by Bounce Insights, shines a light on how the increasing profile and support of women’s sports has a significant ripple impact in Irish society. The research found that 92% of respondents agree that female sports stars have a positive impact on society, and 85% say they are personally inspired by KPMG ambassadors Maguire, Rachael Blackmore and Rhasidat Adeleke.

Parents are more likely to agree with the positive societal impact of female sports stars, and 68% of respondents believe that the prominence of female athletes offers inspirational role models for children.

Additionally, 62% of respondents believe the prominence of female athletes promotes gender equality and challenges stereotypes both in sports and beyond.