Leona Maguire: Lauren Walsh must 'stick to her guns'

Walsh, a two-time Curtis Cup player, will have to navigate the same route that Maguire once did.

ADVICE: Leona Maguire alongside Managing Partner at KPMG, Seamus Hand and young golf fans Kayleigh Ellis and Cooper Jones at the launch of KPMG’s new ‘Books for Birdies’ initiative.

Fledgling pro one minute, seasoned campaigner the next. Elite sport tends to compress the years more than most walks of life and golf is no exception even if careers can and do stretch long beyond the point where others wind down.

Leona Maguire is 28 now, still only five years into her time on the global professional circuit, but with more than enough experience to make her the ideal sounding board for the next generation of Irish golfing talent.

Lauren Walsh won’t be long joining her and Stephanie Meadow in the paid ranks. The 22-year signposted her pro ambitions a long time ago and signed off on her amateur career in sensational style last weekend at Grayhawk Golf Club.

It was her putt that clinched a first ever NCAA Division 1 Women’s title for Wake Forest and she finished seventh in the individual standings despite a third-round 79 that was scarred by an eleven at the par-five fourth.

Maguire put together a blinding amateur CV. She held the number one ranking for a then record period of time of 135 weeks, but the transition wasn’t completely smooth as she failed to make it through Q-School in 2018.

Walsh, a two-time Curtis Cup player, will have to navigate the same route but Maguire feels sure that her compatriot has a good team around her as she stands poised to make the crossover. That’s part of the foundation.

“Her four years in college will have held her in good stead. The one thing Paul McGinley told me was not to change my clubs. I’d probably say the same thing to her. I think she’s Ping, like me. Obviously been working well for her.

“Try not to change too many things. She’ll probably have people offering her advice and opinions and all the rest. Probably stick to her guns for a bit and see what works. You see out on Tour every week people have a different way of doing it.

“You have to figure out what works for you. It’s a little bit of trial and error. There is no perfect plan or perfect way of doing it. She’s (got) Q-School coming up soon and I’m sure that’ll be her main focus and hopefully we’ll see her out here next year.”