Leona Maguire: Female athletes ‘leading the charge’ for Ireland

Leona Maguire launches the third video in KPMG’s Performance Series outlining the importance of setting up a routine, the benefits it can bring and how she maintains focus on her routine. Watch the video series on KPMG Ireland’s Twitter @KPMG_Ireland

Leona Maguire might be trending on social media when it comes to the favourites for the RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year Award, but Ireland’s Solheim Cup hero insists we should not make it a competition between her, Kellie Harrington, Rachael Blackmore, and others but simply celebrate their triumphs for what they are — massive achievements.

Speaking less than 24 hours after her emotional homecoming in Ballyconnell, the 26-year old Cavan woman was almost as pleased for her impact on Irish sport in general as she was for what was clearly a huge confidence-boosting performance in Toledo, Ohio, as she prepares to return to the LPGA Tour to chase her maiden win.

“I was a big part of the 20x20 campaign, being one of the ambassadors for that,” she said of the battle to increase participation by women and media coverage of them by 20% by 2020. “I think one of the coolest things is seeing the impact of those sorts of things on people. Seeing all the little kids out at the homecoming in Cavan. The power of sport is huge, and sometimes maybe we don’t even realise the reach we have.

“If I have inspired some young kids, that’s fantastic. Even if it’s not to play golf, if it’s football, or to go swim or boxing or athletics, or whatever it is, I don’t think it really matters.

We’re very fortunate that we have so many talented Irish athletes right now, and our female athletes are sort of leading the charge.

“Over the last couple of months, we’ve been a bit more to the fore in the Solheim Cup, the Olympics, the Paralympics and got more of the coverage than we normally would. That’s the beauty of those events. Hopefully, we can build off this momentum.”

Maguire never expected to play more than three matches at Inverness Club, but after forming what she described as a “fearless” partnership with the extrovert Mel Reid, a player who would be the antithesis of her in so many ways, she won four and a half points out of five to become the most successful Solheim Cup rookie of all time.

She’s already tipped to rival Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington, Aintree Grand National-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore, boxer Katie Taylor, and Paralympic swimming gold medalist Ellen Keane for the RTÉ Sport award at Christmas, but that’s not what she sees as helpful or important.

“I am seeing things on social media like, oh, who is going to get Sportswoman of the Year?’ and I don’t think it’s about that. I think we can celebrate all the triumphs for what they are,” she said.

“I don’t think there’s a need to compare them and pit one against the other. I think we should be celebrating them for the successes they are. This is something we’ve wanted for a long time.

“The 20x20 campaign was great, but to see it actually put into action, it’s not lip service anymore, it’s Irish female athletes achieving phenomenal things on a world stage, and that’s the most important thing.”

What her performance will do for her career now remains to be seen, but she’s clearly on the media radar in the US after taking down world No 1 Nelly Korda twice in team play.

While she’s yet to win on the LPGA Tour and lost to Korda down the stretch in the Meijer LPGA Classic in June, she’s not afraid.

“We are both very competitive and both fearless, and that was a huge part of it against the Korda sisters on that first morning,” she said of her partnership with Reid.

“Neither of us were afraid to go out against that pair, and that was obviously the strongest pair the Americans could have put out.

“They were unbeaten in that format and had annihilated everybody last time out. I think when we saw the draw, instead of being afraid of it, we were delighted and revelling in the chance to get to play them.”

Meticulous to a fault, her pre-Solheim Cup call with Paul McGinley helped prepare her for the hostile crowds, and while she’s had an incredible year to lie eighth in the LPGA Tour points list, she’s not putting herself up pressure to add an LPGA win before year’s end.

“You can’t guarantee anything, you hope that planning and preparation will come together at the right time and thankfully, it has, for the most part,” she said.

“I didn’t play as well as I would have liked in Tokyo but played really at Evian, the British Open and last week, it just all has to click together at the right time; you need a few bounces here and there.”

As for the next level and being called one of Ireland’s greatest golfers by Pádraig Harrington, she’s trying to keep her feet firmly on the ground but knows she’s achieved her goal of feeling she belongs at the top level.

“A big part of this year on the LPGA was believing I belong there; believing I could contend with the best players in the world, week in, week out,” she said, adding that the addition of caddie Dermot Byrne to her team at the Meijer LPGA Classic, where she was second to Korda, was a watershed moment.

“I have shown that a few times this year with a few second-place finishes. I think going head to head with Nelly at the Meijer in Michigan earlier in the year was massive for my confidence, even though I didn’t get the win that day.

“Knowing I could tee it up beside her, the best player in the world right now and play my own golf, that was massive for me. That helped going into the Solheim Cup.”

As for winning this year, she’s got some seven events remaining, and while she believes she can win, she’s already looking to 2022.

“If I get a win, great. If not, I’ll take everything from this year and go gung-ho next year,” she said.

“The nice thing is that most of these golf courses I am going back to for this run, I have played last year starting in Arkansas and then Shoprite, where I started my professional career.

“So it is nice to be going back to a familiar setting for these three weeks as opposed to earlier in the year, where they were all brand new golf courses. So I am looking forward to going back to them again and trying to get myself into contention as much as possible. If we get the win, great. If not, it has still been a fantastic year.”

She’s looked up to Harrington and Shane Lowry her whole life, and now she hopes her Solheim Cup heroics will be an inspiration for them in the Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits, providing the Offaly man makes the team.

“Yeah, we had gotten messages before we started from all the Ryder Cup lads and Pádraig and that, and the overarching message was, ‘Go win, bring the Cup home and give us some momentum’,” she revealed.

“So we’ve done our bit, and it’s over to them now to try and do the same in Whistling Straits in a couple of weeks’ time.”