Upbeat Leona Maguire chasing elusive Major win at Riviera

The 31-year-old arrives at the 81st US Women's Open for her eighth appearance in the event, still searching for her first Major win.

Thu, 04 Jun, 2026 - 07:51

Brian Keogh

Maja Stark has spent the last 12 months looking at the US Women's Open trophy in her bedroom, and Leona Maguire hopes for a similar view over the next year as she chases her maiden major win at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

"I did kind of want to let it go because it's weird," Stark admitted. "It's like I had it sitting in my room and I just saw it every day, and I'm like, oh, this is cool, but I just want to move on—like I want the challenge again. It's more fun to play for it than to have it."

The chase is something that drives 31-year-old Maguire, who arrives at the 81st US Women's Open for her eighth appearance in the event, still searching for her first Major win.

While she has two LPGA wins and starred on three Solheim Cup teams, the Major win that she appeared destined to claim when she left the amateur ranks as one of the most dominant players in the history of the game remains elusive.

The good news is that 6,699-yard par-71 Riviera, which previously hosted the 1948 US Open, two US PGA Championships, and a US Senior Open, gives everyone a chance.

"It doesn't suit one type of player, which is the type of golf course that I really like," Lydia Ko said. "It's a true example of a course being difficult without having crazy bunkering and crazy greens."

It's a course that rewards strong course management and excellent short game play, which are two of Maguire's strengths.

"I think a US Open suits players who like a bit more strategy and course management," Maguire said this week. "They make you think a little bit more, and you have to have a good short game as well. Those are two things that I quite enjoy."

After a mixed start to 2026 that included three consecutive missed cuts in April and May, Maguire has found form in the nick of time.

A runner-up finish at Shadow Creek in April provided early validation of the changes she's been making with American coach Sean Foley over the past six months.

Last weekend, she grabbed a share of ninth at the ShopRite LPGA in New Jersey and while this is a very different test, it was a welcome result.

"It's nice to see my game trending in the right direction," Maguire said. "Changed a few things in the off-season, so it took a little bit of time to get those technique-wise bedded in."

Her US Open record is modest—five missed cuts and just one top 10 in seven appearances—but women's Major golf has rarely been more unpredictable.

Only three of the last 17 women's Major championships have been won by players ranked in the world's top 10 at the time and Maguire, currently ranked 72nd, fits the mould.

World number one Nelly Korda arrives as the betting favourite, having already won her third major at the Chevron Championship in April.

But while a victory this week would make her the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win the first two Majors of the calendar year, Allisen Corpuz remains the only American winner in the last nine editions.

For Maguire, the fact that Riviera will host the Olympics in 2028 is extra motivation, especially now that there will be a mixed-team event as well as the men's and women's individual contests.

"It's a long time away, but it's a great golf course with a lot of history," she said. "It would be really cool to be back, and obviously, there's a mixed formula as well, so to be able to tee it up with Rory or Shane would be very special. This week is a nice test run for that."

She likes the Kikuyu grass fairways and the "pure" greens, but she also knows that the big challenge at a US Open is a mental one.

"You have to embrace the challenge," she said. "Have the patience and that mindset going into the entire week because it's going to be a long week."

She tees off at 3.40pm Irish time alongside South Korea's Ina Yoon and Australia's Steph Kyriacou.

Olivia Mehaffey, the other Irishwoman in the field, starts at 4.35pm Irish, also from the high tee at the par-five first, with Wales' Becky Morgan and American amateur Ina Kim-Schaad.