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Cavan golfer makes her fourth Solheim Cup appearance this week, against the United States at Bernardus golf club in the Netherlands
Cavan golfer making her fourth Solheim Cup appearance this week, at Bernardus golf club in the Netherlands Leona Maguire: ‘The way I’ve always approached the Solheim Cup in matchplay is always that I love to win.
’ Photograph: Laszlo Geczo– aka the Silent Assassin or, to a number of her Europe team-mates, known simply as MVP – will make a fourthFor Maguire, a wild card pick by captain Anna Nordqvist, the Solheim Cup has become an integral part of her DNA. She and thetrophy are inextricably linked at this point, regardless of whatever happens in her own individual career going forward, where contending and winning Majors remains a career goal. But all that’s for another day.
In the here and now, it’s about the Solheim Cup; it’s part of who she is. And that love of match play, of going head-to-head, was organic, instilled from day one by being born a twin. Of that natural competitive spirit shared by herself and sister Lisa growing up, Maguire explained: “We were always competitive and always trying to compete against each other. It’s just that competitiveness, I suppose.
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You’ve nothing really to lose. ” Maguire’s Solheim Cup record speaks for itself. The Cavan woman’s debut at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio was remarkable, replicating the spirit of Irish men who over time had forged legendary status for their Ryder Cup heroics. Except Maguire, as she had done for much of her own professional journey, was making pioneering steps as the first – and still only – Irish player to play the Solheim Cup.
Her displays on that maiden appearance – four wins from five, including a 5 and 4 win over Jennifer Kupcho in the singles – invited those Silent Assassin comparisons, while her performance at Finca Cortesin in 2023 as Europe retained the crystalware included a vital singles win over Rose Zhang. She was underused in Virginia by Suzann Pettersen but let her clubs do the talking in taking out Ally Ewing in the singles, as the USA regained the trophy.
Leona Maguire celebrates with the Solheim Cup at the Inverness Club in September 2021 in Toledo, Ohio. Photograph: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images “I was fortunate in that my first Solheim was a very positive experience and it went as well as it possibly could have.
That very first match, it was very much a sort of baptism of fire, but I embraced it for what it was and saw it as an opportunity rather than having all this pressure to try and prove myself or perform or whatever. I embraced it, enjoyed it.
” Preparing for her fourth Solheim Cup appearance, with a large travelling Irish support anticipated, Maguire has developed from a fearless rookie into one of the more experienced players on the Europe team, which has four rookies this time around: Julia López Ramírez, Nastasia Nadaud, Mimi Rhodes and Lottie Woad. Of that quartet, Woad – the world number seven – was the only one to earn automatic selection, with the other three getting captain’s picks from Nordqvist.
“It’ll be quite a different dynamic this time around. Charley obviously is playing in her eighth which, considering how young she is, is incredibly impressive. Céline has played one more than me and Carlota seven under her belt as well.
“Carlota is not a vice-captain, but she’s definitely going to sort of step into that leadership role of the players amongst the group, kind of how Anna probably was in the last few. “I think one of the strengths of the European team has been, in the ones that we’ve won anyway, that I’ve been a part of, the rookies were really good in Toledo and in Spain, the rookies really stepped up.
And a big part of that is making the rookies feel comfortable and confident in what they are.
“That comes from the veteran players making them feel comfortable, explaining what’s going to happen each day and just helping them be as ready to go when the time comes, whether you’re playing with them in pairings or not. ” Leona Maguire makes a match-winning birdie during the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Spain in September 2022.
Photograph: David Cannon/Getty Images Maguire’s recent fourth-placed finish in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at the K Club came with a sense of perfect timing, in a season where the self-described “creature of habit” has actually made some significant changes, including switching to a new coach in Sean Foley, with swing changes involved in what remains a work in progress. She has also changed caddies, with Séamus Power’s former bagman Simon Keelan taking over.
The acquisition of Keelan as caddie would appear something of a master stroke, even if it was an accident of timing.
“When he parted with Séamus, I had no idea that was on the radar. But when I heard that they had parted company, and I was looking for a change, it was like, ‘you know what, this could actually work out’.
“I knew Simon a little bit. He was just finishing up on LPGA when I came on but, for some reason in Covid, we used to meet each other in the airport. He’d be going and I’d be going because there wouldn’t obviously be that many people heading to America. I thought he was fantastic at the K Club.
He was very calm, but he was very positive on the course and he actually read some putts for me which I haven’t had a caddie do in a long time. ” In what has been a topsy-turvy season – four top-10s mixed with 11 missed cuts – that performance, over the weekend especially, at the Irish Open provided momentum headed into the Solheim Cup.
“It’s an ongoing process like anything. And not that you need the results to validate, but we are a results game and ultimately you are defined somewhat in terms of what score you shoot and whether it’s working or whether it’s not. I felt like there is probably a lot more missed cuts this year than I would like, but it’s not as far away as it probably seems.
“I’ve done a better job this year of being accepting of that and being a bit more patient and knowing that there will be growing pains and some of those maybe worse results than I’d like. But there have been those top finishes. So the good is really good and the bad shots per se are getting less and less. And it’s just a case of sticking with it and being as consistent as I can with it.
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