Leona Maguire is inspired by Rory McIlroy's Masters success to keep chasing her major dream and she insists she's not pressing any panic buttons as she builds up to next month's KMPG Women's Irish Open at Carton House.
The Co Cavan star (30) missed her third cut in a row after two bad holes leading to a double and triple bogey saw her miss the cut by three shots in US Women's Open at Erin Hills.
But she's upbeat as she looks to pull all strands of her game together in the same week ahead of a five-in-a-row run that will take her through the KPMG Women's PGA, the Irish Open and the Amundi Evian Championship.
"I played actually quite well at Erin Hills," said Maguire, who will join Solheim Cup teammates Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Madelene Sagström, and the 2026 captain Anna Nordqvist in-star-studded Irish Open field at Carton House from July 3-6.
"I had two bad holes that made the score look worse than it actually was. It's probably the best I've driven the ball in about two years."
Maguire also recently changed putter and looks to be getting back to her best on the greens.
But while she's missed the cut in four of her last seven major starts and fallen from a career-high of 10th in the world two years ago to 82nd this week, she's still dreaming of following in the footsteps of her male counterparts.
"I think any golfer wants to win a major," said Maguire, who is not bothered by the expectations of others.
"I mean, you see how much it meant to Rory to win the Masters a few weeks ago after having such a long break from winning his last one.
"But at the same time, it also shows how hard they are to win. The standard of golf now is so high you need a lot of things to go right for you at the right time.
"Ultimately, you're just trying to put yourself in contention as much as you can and keep giving yourself a chance and then hopefully be in the right place at the right time come Sunday.
"I think Rory's journey resonated with everyone because it shows the highs and lows of sport and life in general.
"It was fantastic to see him achieve something he's worked his whole life for, and it's not easy, and the line is not always straight."
The Ballyconnell battler is certainly not beating herself up over her recent missed cuts.
"I feel like I'm playing a lot better than I'm scoring, which is a little bit frustrating, but at the same time, I'm not worried," she said.
"I know I'm playing good golf. So, it's just a case of continuing to work hard and having a bit of patience; hopefully, we'll turn the corner quite quickly.
"All the pieces were there last week... So, I'm not overly concerned. If anything, last week was a big step in the right direction."
Crowds were poor in the US Women's Open at remote Erin Hills, and she's looking forward to seeing big galleries at Carton House next month, where some major stars will tee it up to get ready for the following week's Evian Championship.
"One of the criticisms of Erin Hills last week was that it was a fantastic golf course, but there was nobody there because it was in the middle of nowhere, and it looked poor on TV,” she said.
"So, if anything, the Irish Open had bigger crowds than the US Open had last week."
After watching McIlroy, Pádraig
Harrington, and Shane Lowry win their home Open, she'd love to follow in their footsteps.
"It'd mean an awful lot," said Maguire, who will be joined in Co Kildare by Lauren Walsh, Anna Foster, Sara Byrne, Annabel Wilson and a host of rising Irish stars.
"Obviously, for any golfer to win your National Open would be a huge honour. Rory's done it, Padraig's done it, and Shane's done it, so it'd be nice for the home fans to have some home golfers in contention come Sunday. It's not just me."
After finishing tied for fourth at Dromoland Castle in 2022, she’d love to make another title run this year.
"The crowds down there were unbelievable and getting behind me," she said.
"So it'd be nice to replicate that and go even a little bit better in Carton House."
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Article Link: Leona inspired by McIlroy as she chases major dream and Women's Irish Open glory - News - Irish Golf Desk