Leona Maguire hopes to make Irish Open leaders sweat after brilliant 63

Canice Screene, the best of the Irish across the first two days of play, is two-under for the day through 11 and in a tie for 13th alongside Anna Foster who is already done for the day after hitting a brilliant 66.

Leona Maguire of Ireland putts on the 17th. Pic: Tom Maher/Inpho

Leona Maguire is hoping she can make the KPMG Women’s Irish Open leaders sweat on Sunday after posting a superb bogey-free nine-under par round of 63 that leaves her eleven-under, in a tie for fourth, and seven strokes shy of the summit.

The round could have been better again with two eminently gettable birdie putts on 16 and 18 going awry and a tougher, 20-foot effort on the par-three 17th coming up just shy as conditions deteriorated from wet to saturated late in her day.

Maguire, who could only manage two rounds of 71 to start the tournament, voiced her frustration after the latter by suggesting she could have actually shot ten-under. 

How ironic, then, that she was so close to carding an eleven-under a day later.

“I knew there was a low one out there,” she said, “and honestly, I didn't really play it that much better today than I did yesterday.” 

So, why the difference? No single reason. Maguire pointed to the odd bit of luck and an ability to hole a few more putts having done some extra homework on the greens late on Friday with Simon Keelan who is on her bag for the first time.

It feels counter-intuitive to be focusing on what-ifs after such a standout third-round effort but Maguire was left to rue her luck, and the weather gods, when the hooter sounded to postpone play within minutes of her leaving the 18th.

That meant Casandra Alexander, the South African who was top of the ladder on 18-under par but had just bogeyed the 9th hole, could be spared play in the type of treacherous conditions where grips and lies can become very, very tough.

The look on Maguire’s face as it sounded said everything.

“She obviously hits it far,” said the Irishwoman when asked seconds later what it meant for the leader, for herself and for the tournament. “She's going to make a lot of birdies, but we'll try and make her sweat and see what happens.” 

A first Irish Open title remains an outside shot but this is a round that can give Maguire huge confidence ahead of the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, and reinforce belief that her commitment to a complete swing rebuild is on track.

It is a long haul job under Tiger Woods’ old coach Sean Foley.

Jarlath Carry, age four, from Meath, during the wet conditions. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher

“Sean said in the beginning, [it will take] two years. Two years. He said ideally two years, but there have been sparks of it. On any given week, it can be quicker than that. But yeah, two years till it's fully, fully better.” 

Alexander, after rounds of 63 and 66, was still three-under for the first nine on ‘moving day’ before play was halted. So too were Sara Kouskava of Czechia and Sweden’s Louise Rydvist who are on -13 and -12 respectively.

The Cavan woman wasn’t alone in carding a low number on a day of heavy rains. There was a pair of 65s shot by players even further down the field at the start of play, while Kajsa Arwefjall of Sweden mined a 66 to leave her ten-under and sitting seventh.

Lauren Walsh was first into the clubhouse of the half-dozen Irish players to have made the cut. The Castlewarden golfer somehow managed a 65 despite carding her second triple bogey of the week. She has posted two double bogeys this week too.

Walsh is in a tie for 26th.

Lauren Walsh of Ireland after completing the 9th hole at the K Club on Saturday. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher

Canice Screene, the best of the Irish across the first two days of play, was two-under for the day through 11 and in a tie for 13th alongside Anna Foster who is already done for the day after hitting a brilliant 66.

Aine Donegan was four-under for the day through 16 and in a tie for 24th while Annabel Wilson could only manage a 73 and is 54th on the log.

Play resumed after an hour.