Leona: ‘We're only playing for a fraction of what the guys are playing for’

Leona Maguire admits winning the KPMG Women’s Irish Open this week would be “incredibly special”, but she’d like to see the purse increased and the date changed so it can attract the “world-class field this event deserves.”

The Co Cavan star will be a key player for Solheim Cup skipper Suzann Pettersen in Virginia in three weeks’ time when Europe will be seeking a fourth successive success.

But while she’s looking to turn a good year into a great one over the next few months with this week’s €400,000 event at Carton House, Fairmont one of her big goals, she’d like to see the purse on a par with $6 million Rory McIlroy and Co. will play for at Royal County Down next month.

"It might sound harsh, but we're only playing for a fraction of what the guys are playing for,” she said. "We're playing for four hundred grand this week. They’re playing for nearly $4 million in Boston this week on the LPGA, so it was a choice to be here.”

Maguire (29) was key to the resurrection of the Women’s Irish Open after a 10-year hiatus three years ago and sees it as vital for the future of the women’s game here with 13 home players teeing it up in the O’Meara Course tomorrow.

But she believes work still needs to be done to restore it to its former glory when it was played in the run-up to the 2011 Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle.

"There's always improvements you're always trying to make year on year,” she said. “The quality of the golf courses has been fantastic, obviously Dromoland and Carton this year, and KPMG's support backing this event has given it a lot of gravity and a lot of weight.

“I think I've said this every year, both the purse and the schedule are a big part of getting that world-class field which I feel like this event deserves.”

An Irish win this week would be a huge boost for the event and Maguire is looking to turn a good year into a great one, starting this week.

“Incredibly special, every golfer wants to win their national open,” she said of becoming the first home winner.

While she won her first Ladies European Tour title at the Armaco Team Series event in London six weeks ago, it’s been a “mixed” year for Maguire, who missed the cut in three of the five majors and finished last in the Olympics due to illness.

“I've been working on a few things; some of it has worked, and some of it hasn't; that's the nature of golf,” she said. “Obviously, the second place in Vegas, I felt like I played really great golf and ran into Nelly (Korda) at the wrong time and then obviously, the highlight was the win in London.

"But yeah, I felt like I played some really good golf last week in St Andrews, I just didn't quite finish it off on Sunday, but I feel like my game is in good shape and I'm just trying to put all the pieces together.

"The pieces are all there. I'm just trying to get them to click all at once. So, you never know, this might be the week.”

Winning in Ireland would just be the boost she needs as she heads to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club from September 13-15, looking to improve on her 75pc success rate in the Solheim Cup, where she admits she’s playing for pride given there’s no prize money involved.

“I don’t give up, and I am not afraid of whoever is standing next to me on that first tee,” she said of her Solheim Cup superpower and her determination to “run through a brick wall” for her captain.

“No matter what I achieve in my career, my Solheim Cups will be some of the highlights of my career and a lot of fun memories and moments to look back on with a big smile.”

As for the re-birth of the Irish Women’s Open, which she’d like to see it played nearer the Evian Championship in early summer, she’s grateful for the opportunities it affords our future stars.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “Thirteen Irish players in the field this week is fantastic. That’s a lot of girls and a lot of opportunities. That’s one of the benefits of having a home open as well.

“It’s massive for the younger girls to get a taste of what professional golf is like and see if it’s something they can envisage themselves doing in the future.”