Form isn't an impervious barrier to Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadows at Le Golf National

“We are very fortunate to come from a country that there's a sense of camaraderie as an Irish team and had our best Games so far as a country. It's inspiring to watch them succeed and do so well and obviously you want to be able to add to that," said Maguire.

Team Ireland golfers Leona Maguire, left, and Stephanie Meadow during a practice round at Le Golf National. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Scottie Scheffler’s win at the men’s Olympic golf tournament outside the French capital last week could, on the face of it, confirm the notion that the cream tends to rise to the top when it comes to this competition and its cropped field of 60.

The gold medal was the latest peak in a calendar year full of them for the Texan world No.1 and he won it by holding off the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama, major winners one and all.

But Matsuyama’s bronze medal showed that form need not be a barrier to making the podium at Le Golf National with the Japanese golfer approaching the Games on the back of a tie for 66 at The Open, a missed cut at the Scottish Open and a tie for 23rd at the Travellers.

Matsuyama did have a sixth at the US Open in Pinehurst before that but, boil it all down, and his unpredictable form isn’t all that different to Leona Maguire who has chucked an LET win, a decentish 12th and three missed cuts into the pot the last few months.

The Cavan woman has shown before that she can rise to the big occasion while Ireland’s other golfer here this week, Stephanie Meadow, posted a very respectable seventh when the pair pitched up in Tokyo three years ago having debuted together in 2016.

The pair of them arrived early last week to watch the last rounds of the men’s event, and Rory McIlroy’s late Sunday challenge in particular, and Maguire is a markedly different golfer now than the one than the 21-year in Brazil eight years ago.

“Each year has been very different, Rio being the first go-around. I was still an amateur in Rio so I was happy to be there trying to soak up as much as I could,” she said after a week spent at home in Ireland and watching the Olympic medals stack up.

Team Ireland golfers Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow during a press conference following a practice round at Le Golf National.Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

“We are very fortunate to come from a country that there's a sense of camaraderie as an Irish team and had our best Games so far as a country. It's inspiring to watch them succeed and do so well and obviously you want to be able to add to that.”

They were both struck by the Irish support for McIlroy and Shane Lowry last week. They aren’t the first to describe an atmosphere that feeds into the idea of a ‘home’ Games here and Maguire has done well in heightened surrounds before.

“It almost has that sort of Solheim Cup/Ryder Cup sort of atmosphere to it with the grandstands and the crowds. It's going to be very exciting, and it's one of those things where you want to do as well as you can do give the fans as much to cheer about as you can.”

It’s no small ask on a course that will play to 6,374 yards but as a par-72 rather than the 71 put before the men. The 18th has been bumped from par four to par five this time around with other tweaks made here and there besides.

The greens may actually be trickier with another week of hot weather to dry them out and Maguire identified an 18 with markedly different nines, the front half being almost devoid of water after the second hole. The bunkers are a concern too.

Meadow’s form isn’t all that promising this week either but, like Maguire, she is hoping to plug into the unique atmosphere of the Olympics and use the crowds as a means of producing something special these next four days.

"I said it on Saturday and Sunday when I was watching the guys, it was incredible to be in this atmosphere and have those kind of chills and goosebumps. We want that. We don't want to be out there with ten people watching us and just a small clap.

“That's something we dream about. The guys get it more than us but we would obviously want that as well.

“I joked with Leona when we played nine on Sunday there were all those people around 18, and we were like, ‘that's probably the most people we've ever hit a golf shot’ but nobody was paying attention and maybe we'll have that.

“It's something we all want. We're here for a reason and we're good. Like you said for a lot of us it makes us play better. I'm looking forward to it. It's a special opportunity for me.”