Near-miss at PGA gives Leona Maguire confidence ahead of Women's Open

Maguire is returning to a tournament this week in which she secured her best finish in a major championship last year, a tie for fourth behind South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai at Muirfield

RELAXED: Ireland's Leona Maguire addresses a press conference ahead of the AIG Women's Open at Walton Heath Golf Club. Pic: Warren Little/Getty Images

Leona Maguire is confident she has learned the lessons of her PGA Championship near-miss earlier this summer ahead of Thursday’s AIG Women’s Open first round at England’s Walton Heath.

The world number 13 from Cavan had been on course for back-to-back LPGA Tour victories following her Meijer LPGA Classic win in June when went into the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as leader at Baltusrol in New Jersey, only to shoot a closing 74 and finish tied for 11th, four shots behind winner Ruoning Yin of China.

Yet Maguire, 28, is returning to a tournament this week in which she secured her best finish in a major championship last year, a tie for fourth behind South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai at Muirfield.

While recognising the different challenge the heathland course in Surrey poses this week compared to the links test in Scotland 12 months ago, the Irishwoman believes she can draw on both that experience and her Baltusrol heartache at Walton Heath this week.

“Yeah, I mean, I think at Baltusrol, I put three really good rounds together. I think I had had seven rounds in the 60s or something leading into that day,” Maguire said on Wednesday.

“So yeah, I was probably playing really nice golf. I think the wind the week before took a lot out of me. I was quite drained come Sunday and just didn't have enough in the tank to get over the line.

“Knowing I could put myself in contention, it was obviously a new learning experience, to be in that situation in the lead last group Saturday and the lead last group Sunday and sort of the emotions and everything that went along with that.

“I'd like to think that if I get myself in that position again, I'll approach it a little differently and I'll have learned from that experience.” 

As for building on last year’s T4-finish at the AIG Women’s Open in Scotland, Maguire added: “You're always trying to get better and better, trying to get yourself into contention.

“It's a very different test to Muirfield. Muirfield was a proper sort of links test, with the wind obviously the last day. But yeah, I mean, we'll judge by whatever we get this week and definitely try to keep the ball in play. I think out of the bunkers and out of the heather will be the big key this week.

“It's a very different British Open test than we've had the last few years. The golf course is soft and there's a lot of woods out there, and there will be a lot of hybrids. I played the back nine this morning, and apart from the par-fives, I think I hit one iron into the green. So it's definitely playing long and I imagine it will dry out as the week goes on hopefully and a few tees will get moved around.

“Overall, I think it will be a really good test.”