It is 38 weeks since Leona Maguire first ascended to the top of the world amateur golf rankings. On that day – May 13th, 2015 – the news caught her by surprise. It needed a text message to alert her to the fact and, since then, it has been pretty much business as usual for this golf phenomenon from rural Co Cavan who alternates her time between lecture halls at Duke University in North Carolina and a different form of education on the golf course.
Academically, Maguire – and her twin sister Lisa, also a scholarship student at famed Duke – is at the top of the class. On the golf course, she is rated the world’s number one amateur for a reason: she is.
And next week the whole cycle of competition on the US collegiate circuit starts again with a tournament in Palos Verdes outside Los Angeles. Other tournament stops in the coming months include South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia and, finally, in May, the national collegiate championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Yet, in this year of years, all that collegiate play is almost like an appetiser. For what follows in the summer months holds huge promise, for Maguire will be competing in two Majors, the US Women’s Open at CordeVale in northern California and the British Women’s Open at Woburn in July; and, then, in August, will likely become an Olympian in Rio de Janeiro.
Rehabilitation
It is worth briefly going back to the start of Maguire’s golfing career to understand the journey. When they were 10, Lisa suffered a broken elbow and was given medical advice to take up a racquets-style sport with a swing in order to aid her rehabilitation.
They didn’t choose tennis or badminton or squash. No, influenced by their father Declan, they took up golf . . . and, as twins do, Leona started playing too.
At the time, the pair were decent swimmers. By the time they were 14, golf was very much their primary sport and they have been spurring each other on since. They have played Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup, as well as becoming the youngest players to represent Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup, for the 2010 match in Massachusetts.
Leona – who last year won the Annika Award presented by Annika Sorenstam and also received the Mark H McCormack Medal for finishing the year as the world best amateur, which earned her invites into the US Open and the British Open – seems to have taken here elevation to the top in her stride. There is a confidence about her, along with a ready smile. And there is a work ethic that only high achievers in sport possess.
A typical day in college starts with a 7am visit to the gym, followed by lectures up to lunch time and then work on the range, the golf course, the short game area or the putting green. “Whatever needs to be worked on,” Leona says.
Individual titles
She has clearly reaped the benefits. In her first season on the collegiate circuit, she claimed three individual titles, and this season she has already claimed another. The next few months up to the NCAA championships in Oregon, will make for a busy schedule, as she criss-crosses state lines for tournament play.
“The [collegiate circuit] is getting stronger year-on-year. I know there’s a lot of people turning pro as teenagers but there’s a lot going through the college system. Even when you look at some of the awards or the trophies, you see their names, Lorena Ochoa and people like that, and you know you’re in good company.”
The attraction of the US collegiate system is two-fold: there’s the opportunity to get a good education and the chance to compete against most of the world’s top amateurs.
“You’re playing three-round events on different courses in different weather, getting used to different grasses,” says Leona.
“They’re long days and it is a hectic schedule, but it’s well-structured and that’s something I have always liked. I like having a good routine and a good structure . . . I know what I am doing and where I am going.”
She adds: “I have always enjoyed school. I was good at maths and science, and it forces you to manage your time and make sure you are making the most t of it. It is nice I can do both [study and golf] at the same time.
Good education
“I guess Mam [Breda] and Dad [Declan] being schoolteachers, they wanted us to get a good education. You never know what’s going to happen down the road, so it is nice to have that [degree]. Even if you are not going to use it, it’s nice to have that reassurance that it is there.”
Leona was only the second recipient of the Annika Award. Her predecessor was Alison Lee, who opted to leave college life behind after winning an LPGA card at Q-School at the end of 2014. Lee’s first season on tour brought earnings of almost $630,000 (€580,000).
And for Maguire, her taste of pro tour life and what lies ahead of her when she inevitably moves on to the paid ranks came in the European Masters at The Buckinghamshire last July where a runner-up finish to veteran American Beth Allen provided an early indicator of her capabilities.
Looking back on the €50,000 cheque that, as an amateur, she left behind, Maguire affords herself a little chuckle. “Hopefully down the road I will be making a bit,” she says, adding: “I didn’t dwell on it . . . It’s never really been about the money for me, so in that regard it wasn’t too big of a deal. I knew going into the week I wasn’t going to get anything. I felt more for my dad, carrying that big heavy bag [as caddie] and he got nothing out of it. No, it’s nice to be in those positions.”
And, going forward, Maguire – be it in collegiate events, amateur or professional – will be looking to get into contention time and time again. Just like some of the other sportswomen and sportsmen that she has viewed as role models.
Down to earth
As she puts it: “I did look up to Annika when I was growing up. She was the first who worked hard in the gym, worked the hardest out on tour, had a great short game. In terms of golf, I looked up to her and to Pádraig [Harrington], a lot of the guys. And Katie Taylor. What Katie has done has been a huge inspiration for a lot of people in Ireland, the hard work and still being humble and down to earth.”
Maguire is following in the footsteps of other players who were high achievers. Lee preceded her as the inaugural recipient of the Annika Award as the top collegiate player in America. And none other than Lydia Ko preceded her as the recipient of the McCormack Medal.
She will get the chance to rub shoulders with them at the US Open and the British Open . . . and, most probably, the Olympics too.
As things stand, Maguire and professional Stephanie Meadow are in line to represent Ireland in Rio.
“I did a lot of swimming growing up and the dream back then was always the Olympics, so when I put more emphasis on golf, obviously it wasn’t in the Olympics at the time. Now it is and it is nice to get the chance.
“Any athlete wants to play in the Olympics, it is the pinnacle of any sport, that gold medal. Now there is a chance. [Qualifying] is based on the pro rankings, so I don’t have as much control over it as I would like, but hopefully I will get some pro events in between now and the cut off [in July] to try to improve my ranking. If I qualify, I qualify. And if I don’t, I will be working towards 2020.”
