<p>Amateur Aine Donegan reads her putt on the third green during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Thursday, July 6, 2023. (Darren Carroll/USGA)</p>
Lahinch’s Áine Donegan credited her mental game for helping her qualify for the US Women’s Open for the second year running but she’s putting no pressure on herself to produce another headlining-grabbing performance alongside the world’s best.
The Ennis native and Louisiana State University star (22) faced a nervous overnight wait after she fired rounds of 68 and 67 in the 36-hole qualifier at Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club in Dallas to lead by two shots in the clubhouse when the fog-delayed qualifier was suspended due to fading light on Monday.
She endured a sleepless night wondering if the chasing pack would overtake her in the race for two spots at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania from May 30 to June 2.
But her nine-under total was enough to give her a one-shot win over Taiwan’s Huai-Chien Hsu, and after a recent slump in form cost her a place in July’s Arnold Palmer Cup at her home club, she’s hoping this could be the start of something big.
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<p>Aine Donegan following her win in US Women's Open Qualifying in Dallas</p>
“I’m thrilled,” Donegan said as she began the six-hour drive back to Baton Rouge to take an exam at 6 pm. “It was tough to have to sleep on that. Honestly, I didn't get much sleep last night. It was my worst night's sleep in a long time!”
The bubbly Co Clare woman made headlines worldwide last year when she grabbed a share of the lead during the first round of the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach and contended right into Saturday before finishing 45th against the world’s best professionals.
She can’t wait to test herself again but she’s hoping just to enjoy the experience after working hard recently on her mental game.
Her coach, Glenlo Abbey professional Gary Madden, joined her at LSU last week, where she worked on some of the mental keys she’s learned from psychologist Karl Morris and Irish coach Donal Scott.
“It’s funny how things work out,” she explained. “I was very disappointed about the Palmer Cup. But I knew I wasn't going to be there because I didn't play well this spring.
"My friend and Lahinch teammate Aideen Walsh texted me and she said, ‘You've got to turn this into a positive by going to nationals with LSU and the Europeans with Ireland’, and in the space of a week, you know what, it's not stinging quite as much.”
While Madden was a big help in Texas, Donegan credits her mental game with turning her fortunes around.
“One of the goals for the US Open would just be to have a similar mindset as I did this week,” she said. “I know that my golf is there. I just have to go out and enjoy it, and have no expectations.
“I really did disregard the outcome yesterday, and Gary and I worked on that in Baton Rouge during the week before heading to Dallas.
"At the end of the day, the only thing I can do on each shot is to try and hit it to the best of my abilities to the place I want to hit it to.
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“Whatever happens after that is a bonus. So that's the goal for the next couple of tournaments and throughout the summer.”
She’ll be joined at Lancaster Country Club by Leona Maguire, two LSU teammates in world amateur number one, Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden, and her close friend Latanna Stone.
“At the end of the day, amateurs shouldn't have any expectations,” she said. We’re just hoping to get there in the first place and enjoy it as much as we can.
"And luckily, this year, I'll be there with Latanna, one of my best friends. It will be brilliant, and my family will come out as well. My brother texted me, and he said thanks again for another free holiday.”
The Co Clare star appears to have found form in the nick of time.
She was tied for second in the Moon Golf Invitational in February, but her failure to shine in recent weeks likely cost her a place the chance to play in the Arnold Palmer Cup side at her home club, Lahinch.
However, LSU has qualified for the NCAA regional in Texas next week and Donegan is looking forward to building on her latest success.
“I was in a bit of a slump,” she confessed. “So I started working with sports psychologist Karl Morris, who has a couple of LPGA players. I’ve only had a couple of sessions with him recently, but that's been great.
"And Donal Scott, the Irish coach, has been great as well. I had a couple of calls with him.
“Luckily, I have a good team around me that can help me get better and focus on what's actually important instead of all the outside noise.
“Staying present is the most important thing in golf, especially when you get to this level. Everyone is around the same level so it's just who's got a better mental game.
"There's a select few, obviously, such as Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Rory, they're amazing. But once you get to a certain level, it's mainly mental.”
That mental game proved key in the 36-hole US Open qualifier, where she birdied her last two holes to open with a four-under 68. This left her a shot off the lead and in a six-way tie for second.
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“I was saying to Gary after going about nine holes in the first round without a birdie, I was just going to keep staying patient, and then I birdied my last two in the first round to go four under,” Donegan said.
“So then we went straight back out because there was an hour delay in the morning because of fog and I played really well in the second round.
“I was tired, but I just tried to stay really focused. I was four under for my first nine and I was just trying to stay patient and then I made a bogey.
"So, on my last hole, Gary said keep doing what you're doing; just finish strong. And I made about a 15-footer for birdie. I didn't know the scores at that point.
"There was no live scoring. And Gary said that could have been extremely important, but it ended up being very important.
“I was nine-under and two girls were at seven under when play was called off for the day about 20 minutes after I was done because of daylight. I think they had four holes to play. So they had to get two shots extra.
“My mindset was, okay, I'm going to be in a playoff tomorrow. So I went there to practice and then saw them come in.”
Madden, who will likely caddie for Donegan in the US Women’s Open again, felt his pupil played as well as she did at Pebble Beach last year.
“I arrived in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, so we got some great work done for three days before a six-and-a-half-hour drive to Dallas on Saturday,” he reported.
“It was turbulent in Dallas, to say the least! A tornado on Sunday caused 4.5 inches to fall, making it totally unplayable for Sunday, so we played it blind in round one.
“She played great, hit 33 of 36 greens and putted really solid too. She is probably playing as well as she was in those early rounds at Pebble Beach last year so hopefully Lancaster works out. Either way, it’s been an amazing journey for Áine.”
Donegan is not putting herself under pressure to reproduce the form she showed at Pebble Beach, where she was a shot off the lead after an opening 69 before going on to card rounds of 76, 75 and 77 to finish tied for 45th, just two shots behind Maguire.
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“I don't really know anything about the course other than the fact that it's in Pennsylvania,” she said. “I’ll just try to go there with no expectations, even though it will be different to the 36-hole qualifier this week.
“That was all about who can go lowest, like a shootout. You can't really play conservatively, so I said, let's see how far we can go here. And I went in with the same mindset as last year and thankfully, it worked out. It was brilliant.
“It was a great day yesterday. And I'm so pleased with how I played. I'd gone nine rounds in tournaments in spring, the last three tournaments, with no under-par scores.
“As I said to Gary when we finished yesterday, I don't care if I get in or not. It’s just the fact that I've shot two good rounds here today. I've got two good rounds under my belt for the next two tournaments in college, which are the two biggest of the year.
“I'm just more pleased with that. I said, if the result comes, that's great, but I'm just happy with how I played and how I kind of handled my mental game and encouraged myself. So that was that was the most positive thing.
“For Lancaster, one of the goals would just be to have a similar mindset as I did this week. I know that my golf is there.”
As for thoughts of making the Irish team for the European Amateur Team Championships or the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team for Sunningdale, she’s putting those events to the back of her mind.
“With teams, it's kind of out of your control,” she said. “If I play the best golf, I can play and get into an automatic spot (for the top five in WAGR), that’s the most I can do for the Curtis Cup. But they're kind of outside noise.
"Maybe that got into my head a little bit during these events trying to qualify for the Arnold Palmer Cup. Who knows?
“At the end of the day, it's your golf that does the talking. So if I focus on the right things, then all that should take care of itself.”