Donegan and Maguire falter at Pebble Beach

Áine Donegan's challenge collapsed first when she suffered a gruesome quintuple-bogey nine

Leona Maguire at Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

The key to winning major championships is managing mistakes and avoiding the big numbers, and failing to adhere to that axiom likely crushed Ireland’s hopes for a first women’s major winner on Saturday at Pebble Beach.

Both Áine Donegan and Leona Maguire had avoided disaster so well until Saturday when both of their contending opportunities at the U.S. Women’s Open fell apart with big numbers on Pebble Beach’s front nine with each of them tied for fifth before suddenly unraveling.