Leona Maguire returns to Meijer Classic, the event that sparked her LPGA emergence

BELMONT, Michigan — A lot of things can change in just one year.

Just 12 months ago, Leona Maguire was known as somebody who had been known one of the best amateurs women’s golf has ever seen, but who had failed to make her mark in her brief pro career. That all changed in a big way last summer.

At last year’s Meijer LPGA Classic, she finished alone in second place for the first time in her career, just two shots behind Nelly Korda who became the No. 1 ranked player in the world the following week. A month later, she was competing in the Olympics for her native Ireland. Then in September, she made a dominant run in her Solheim Cup debut, going undefeated and scoring a team-high 4.5 points. Those points helped push Team Europe to a 15-13 win over Team USA. The cherry on top for the 27-year-old was claiming the first-ever LPGA Tour win for an Irishwoman this February at the LPGA Drive On Championship.

She’s always been confident in herself, understandably so. After all, she held the world No. 1 amateur ranking for a record 135 weeks before turning pro in 2020. But last year’s tournament in West Michigan really helped her realize she belongs competing for titles out on the Tour.

“This week last year was a big confidence booster for me,” Maguire said. “I played some really great golf here and went toe to toe with Nelly [Korda] who then became No. 1 the next week, so I knew my game was in really good shape when I could do that, so [it] gave me a lot of confidence leading on from that.”

Maguire heads into Saturday’s third round with a shot to claim another title in 2022. She sits at 7-under par for the tournament, putting her in a tie for seventh place seven shots off the lead.

More: Photo gallery of the Meijer LPGA Classic from the Holland Sentinel

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The track at Blythefield Country Club is one of her favorites on the tour too. She said it reminds her of several courses from back home, so it gives her a sense of familiarity when she’s over the ball.

Another thing giving her good vibes heading into the weekend is that her twin sister, Lisa is with her. With hoards of fans in Michigan supporting Americans like Korda or Lexi Thompson, it’s comforting to know she has fans in her corner.

“It’s always nice having her out on the road. She’s been out for a few weeks now, so this week and next week at KPMG she’ll be out,” Maguire said. “Yeah, having her walk along and supporting me is always a benefit.”

Her fellow golfers on the Tour knew it was only a matter of time before Maguire, who is now ranked 24th in the world, burst onto the scene in the pro ranks. But it just took some time to adjust to the constant elite level of competition and the hectic lifestyle of always being on the road.

Mel Reid, her teammate on the Solheim Cup team last year, saw Maguire’s emergence firsthand when they were paired together for the first round of the tournament. She said she’s so happy to see her thriving now. She even got a nickname on the Tour due to her heroics for Team Europe.

“We call her MVP now, she’s obviously a great player, she’s always been a great player, she’s had a great amateur career,” Reid said. “It’s nice to see her doing well out here, you know it takes some time, the girls are really good out here.”

Another one of her teammates on Team Europe, Madelene Sagstrom, has known Maguire since junior golf. Just like Reid, there’s no surprise for her to see how Maguire has turned into the next potential superstar on the LPGA Tour.

“it’s nice to see her blossom. That’s what we’re all looking to do out here, so we all knew that she was going to do — she was going to win, and then we all knew she was going to do great,” Sagstrom said. That’s where she belongs.”

With the weekend rounds at the Meijer still to play and the third major of the year, The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, less than a week away Maguire will be looking to take more confidence from the Meijer LPGA Classic, even if she doesn’t end up hoisting the trophy on Sunday evening.

“Yeah, [that confidence] it’s huge,” Maguire said. “I think it’ll be a very different test next week at [the KPMG], but this week it’s about trying to go as low as possible.”

—Contact Assistant Sports Editor Will Kennedy at Will.Kennedy@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByWillKennedy and Facebook @Holland Sentinel Sports.