Leona Maguire joined a media call from her base in Orlando yesterday as the countdown continued at the K Club towards the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, which will take place at the County Kildare venue in August.
While the media day in Ireland brought together a strong home contingent, including Olivia Mehaffey, Olivia Costello and Áine Donegan, Maguire was speaking from the United States, where she is preparing for one of the busiest stretches of her season.
The Cavan golfer is balancing the demands of a packed LPGA schedule, developing a relationship with new coach Sean Foley, and the lure of returning home for a KPMG-backed Irish Open expected to draw one of the strongest crowds yet.
“It has been a season with a few highlights,” said Maguire, speaking from Orlando. “Vegas and ShopRite were the top tens at this point in the season, and it has been a little bit not quite as consistent as I would like, but with a few changes and working on a few things, that’s the growing pains that come with that.”
She now turns towards a demanding run of golf that includes the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the Evian Championship, the Scottish Open, the AIG Women’s Open, and then the return to Ireland.
“There are a busy few weeks ahead, and I’m looking forward to where my game is at heading into this stretch,” she said.
Much of the conversation centred on Maguire’s work with Foley, one of the most recognised coaches in world golf, whose past pupils have included Tiger Woods.
“It’s been good,” said Maguire. “It’s a different way of doing things, but I can see the benefits in what we’re doing. It’s a learning curve, but I’m excited for what’s to come.”
The decision to make a coaching change was not made overnight.
“At the end of every season, you sit down and assess where you’re at and what needs to be done to get to the next level,” she said. “Shane and I both acknowledged we were at a crossroads. We had tried quite a few things over the last few years, some of which had worked for a week or two, and some of which hadn’t.”
The geography has helped. Maguire has been home only once since Christmas, and only briefly in April for sponsor commitments. Foley, being based in Orlando, has made the new arrangement much more practical.
“It really does make a difference having that more hands-on approach, as opposed to sending videos back and forth all the time,” she said. “It helps conserve energy as well, not having to make a lot of trips back and forth.”
The KPMG Women’s Irish Open will come at a challenging point in the calendar. Maguire expects to arrive back in Ireland late, with little room for a full build-up week.
“It’s going to be tricky for me to get back,” she said. “I probably won’t get back until Tuesday, and hopefully have as late a tee time as possible on Sunday in Canada. Thankfully, the K Club has been very good to me over the years, and I’ll maybe try to get a few practice rounds in around the K Club in those weeks to ease some of the time constraints when I get back.”
That familiarity may prove important. The K Club is a venue with deep tournament experience and strong recent memories for Irish golf.
“For any golfer, you ultimately would love to win your national Open,” said Maguire. “Rory winning the Irish Open with those crowds around the 18th green at the K Club, it seemed like there were people in every nook and cranny. They were hanging out of the clubhouse, out of the balcony, behind the green, beside the green. It was obviously a fantastic atmosphere.”
Maguire has played in each of the modern editions of the Women’s Irish Open since its return, from Dromoland Castle to Carton House, and she believes the move to the K Club can lift it again.
“The Irish people have been fantastic in their support, back from the first one in Dromoland a few years ago and then the same in Carton House,” she said. “The weather wasn’t quite as good in Carton House the last couple of years, so hopefully the K Club people will come out in their droves again.”
“I do think Dromoland’s crowds were the best crowds so far, and the atmosphere in Dromoland was probably my favourite, so hopefully the K Club can top that this year.”
The strength of the Irish field is also growing. Mehaffey is finding form again, Lauren Walsh has established herself on the LPGA Tour, Sara Byrne is progressing, and Costello has already qualified for the tournament after emerging through the KPMG Kids Golf Tour pathway.
“The group has been doing really well,” said Maguire. “It’s nice to see Sara back, Lauren has had some good finishes, and it’s nice to see Olivia playing well again. Olivia’s qualifying for the US Open was a big deal.”
She believes the tournament has value beyond the professional leaderboard, especially for the amateurs who get the chance to test themselves in front of home crowds.
“When the Irish Open came back on the schedule, the big thing was that you wanted opportunities for the pros and the young pros coming up, but also for the amateurs,” she said.
“I was fortunate enough to play in a few of them as an amateur as well. You get a taste of it. You see the grandstands, the tents, everybody on the driving range, and you figure out whether it is something you want to do or not. It is also a good test for your game, to see how far away you are.”
She also had a note of advice for those amateurs.
“They ultimately have nothing to lose,” she said. “It’s not their job on the line. Hopefully, they can learn something and enjoy it as much as they can without putting too much pressure on themselves.”
The wider Irish women’s golf story is in a healthy place. The European Ladies’ Team Championship is heading to Slieve Russell this summer, Maguire’s home course, and there is ongoing speculation that Ireland could again host the Solheim Cup.
“I probably know every blade of grass in that place,” she said of Slieve Russell. “It is great for the area and great for the golf course. I always thought it was very underrated because it wasn’t close to Dublin and people didn’t really know about it.”
On the Solheim Cup, Maguire was understandably careful but enthusiastic.
“2011 was one of the best Solheim Cups we’ve had,” she said. “Even the weather couldn’t keep the crowds away. It would be unbelievable to have a Solheim Cup back on Irish soil.”
Before any future Irish hosting ambitions, Maguire’s immediate target is the 2026 Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, with qualification still to be secured.
“The main goal is to try and qualify,” she said. “You don’t want to have to rely on a pick. I’ve had some great experiences in the Solheim Cup so far, and every time you get to be part of one, you want to be part of the next one.”
There is still work to be done, both in results and in the technical changes she is making. Maguire knows the LPGA is moving towards longer courses, firmer greens and a premium on height and distance.
“You have to be able to hit the ball long and high,” she said. “You have to keep up with that, or you get left behind to a certain extent.”
But she remains energised by the challenge and by the life she has built in golf.
“There are a lot of people with a lot tougher jobs than we do,” she said. “We’re getting to play a game for a living and travel the world. Some of the places are more glamorous than others, but we’re incredibly lucky to do what we do.”
The KPMG Women’s Irish Open will bring that world home in August, and the prospect of walking onto the first tee at the K Club in front of Irish galleries is already firmly in view.
“I would love to win my national Open,” she said.
For the K Club, for KPMG and for Irish golf, that would be a story to savour.
The KPMG Women’s Irish Open takes place at the K Club from the 27th to the 30th of August. Book your tickets here.
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