<p>Leona Maguire watches her tee shot on the fourth hole 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. (James Gilbert/USGA)</p>
Leona Maguire refused to hit the panic button despite carding a two-over 74 to find herself six shots behind surprise leader Bailey Tardy in the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.
The Co Cavan star turned in two-under par but struggled with her approach play coming home and dropped four shots in five holes before following a birdie at the sixth, her 15th, with a three-putt bogey at the last.
“Yeah, struggled a bit today,” said Maguire, who missed eight greens in regulation and found herself just outside the top 10 on one-under par.
“I had a lot of really good up-and-downs to sort of keep me in it, but didn't really play my best golf today. Didn't hit enough greens, and that kind of made things a little bit difficult.”
She added: “It definitely played harder today I would say than yesterday. There's a few of the pins where the wind is blowing and you just can't really get at them. Yeah, definitely playing harder today.”
Tied third overnight with Ennis amateur Aine Donegan after opening with a 69, the world number 10 never looked comfortable with her approach play.
She had to scramble twice on her front nine before knocking in a 35 footer at the 17th and and a 14 footer at the 18th to turn in two-under-par.
But missed greens led to bogeys at the first, second, third and fifth, and while she banged in a 20 footer for birdie at the sixth to get to one-over for the round, then got up and down from beyond the eighth for par, she three putted her final hole.
A 73 would have been a good return but she hit her approach nearly 40 feet above the hole on the treacherous ninth green and knocked her first putt 13 feet past, missing the return.
The resulting bogey five leaves herself with work to do at the weekend but with the afternoon starters set to face windier conditions, she was still very much in the hunt, despite falling six shots behind surprise early leader Bailey Tardy on two-under.
“Just need to hit more greens, I think,” she said. “It's really tricky around these greens if you start missing greens, so just need to hit a few more greens and give myself a few more chances.”
She paid little attention to the leaderboard as she made the turn and clearly feels that being in the red leaves her well placed at halfway.
“No, under par around here you always know you're going to be in good shape,” she said. “Just made a few bad swings and kind of cost me, that early stretch on the front nine.”
While it’s a seaside course, Maguire sees no similarities with the links courses of home.
“No, not really,” she said. “It's by the ocean, but it's not really playing like a links golf course I would say. The fairways are pretty soft and the greens are starting to firm up and there's obviously really lush rough. Looks like links but isn't really playing like it.”
A Curtis Cup player at Dun Laoghaire in 2016, American rookie Tardy (26) carded a four-under 68 to lead by two shots on seven-under from compatriot Allisen Corpuz (70) and Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim (71).
She had to birdie a fourth playoff hole just to qualify for her sixth Major and is now leading after missing the cut in her previous appearances.
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