Tag: Galgorm Castle Golf Club

American Ryann O’Toole in position to double her LPGA win total

“I definitely feel like my game is trending. I noticed it the last couple weeks. Things are starting to fall into place.”

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ANTRIM, Northern Ireland — Ryann O’Toole was born and raised in California and now resides in Arizona, but she sure appears to be at home when she heads across the pond.

The 36-year-old O’Toole joined the LPGA in 2011 and in her 11th season on the LPGA captured her first victory, the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, by a three-stroke margin.

The former UCLA star is in position to add another title abroad after she opened with a pair of birdies on Saturday en route to a third-round 68 at the ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle Golf Club.

“Maybe I just like playing in the UK. Maybe that’s something I need to hone in on, figure out,” O’Toole joked after the round. “I mean, ever since the win in Scotland I’ve been trying to have it happen again. Tomorrow just go out and see what happens.”

Added consecutive birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 and came to the clubhouse with the lead at 4 under, although Gabrielle Cowley later posted a 67 to take a one-stroke edge heading into the final round.

As for O’Toole, she’s clearly been better in her last few outings as she followed five straight missed cuts with a pair of top-30 finishes at a pair of majors — the Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG British Women’s Open.

“I definitely feel like my game is trending. I noticed it the last couple weeks. Things are starting to fall into place, very consistent, things I’ve been working on,” she said. “Just getting the confidence up there … there is not a lot of erratic shots, so it’s been really good.”

Perhaps her finest moment of the tournament came on the 10th hole, when she put her second shot into a bush, and was forced to chip out. The shot ran through the green, but O’Toole responded by dropping the next chip in the hole.

“I would say that was the highlight birdie,” she said. “It was kind of nice just I felt like I got very unlucky to be in the bush, ball not in the bush, so one of those.”

While Galgorm Castle played difficult during the opening two rounds, a number of players took advantage of easier conditions on Saturday, including Esther Henseleit, who sits locked in second place with O’Toole after a 69 on Saturday.

But with 18 holes to play, O’Toole feels good about her chances to double her win total. The event, which is in its final playing, brings players from the DP World Tour, LPGA and Ladies European Tour together.

With a victory, O’Toole would become the sixth American to win on the LPGA Tour this season, joining three-time winner Lilia Vu and the quartet of Rose Zhang, Allisen Corpuz, Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokol. She would also be the oldest winner on the tour this year, taking the mark from 34-year-old Ashleigh Buhai, who won the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

“I like shotmaking. I think every hole is different. You have to work the ball. I really like that,” O’Toole said of the course. “From tee to green you have to play shots. Here you got a lot of crosswinds so you really have to commit to shots and kind of just take it as it comes and be really patient.

“There’s a lot of scorable holes out there. Today played definitely a lot shorter, which was unexpected. Feel like I didn’t capitalize on some of those shorter, pushed-up tees. But I stayed patient and it worked out.”

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Just as women’s golf is rising in Ireland, a key event is taken off the schedule

This signals a high water mark in women’s golf for the region, one that even the players have noticed.

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ANTRIM, Northern Ireland — Pop your head into any golf shop along the northwest coast of Ireland and you’re sure to gather in a healthy dose of Leona Maguire, one of the nation’s greatest golf products.

Posters of the 28-year-old appear with as much frequency as they would of Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City or Steph Curry in the Bay area. Maguire is also on the cover of the most recent Irish Golfer magazine, smiling while standing between the words “Leona: That winning feeling,” marking the second time in the publication’s last 20 issues that she’s graced the front page.

In this emerald paradise, her star couldn’t be shining much brighter.

She’s not alone. While the island that encompasses the countries of Ireland and Northern Ireland has long produced male golf superstars, female pros have not enjoyed the same level of success until recently.

The former Duke player dominated the amateur game and held the No. 1 ranking for 135 weeks, a record that was broken by Rose Zhang. In 2022, Maguire became the first Irishwoman to win on the LPGA at the Drive On Championship.

Others have followed suit. At this week’s ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Aviv Clinics at Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Castlerock Golf Club outside Belfast, Maguire is joined by Stephanie Meadow, Olivia Mehaffey and Jessica Ross, who all hail from Northern Ireland.

2023 ISPS HANDA World Invitational
The 16th tee box at Galgorm Castle Golf Club for the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational. (Photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

It signals a high-water mark in women’s golf for the region, one that even the players have taken notice of.

“It’s amazing. I think when I was a little girl I looked up to the guys,” said Mehaffey, an Arizona State product who plays on the Ladies European Tour. “We always had so many great male players. Didn’t maybe have as much on the women’s side. Obviously, Leona and Steph are kind of breaking down a lot of barriers. I am coming in behind them. There are a lot of girls in college. It’s getting really strong. It’s nice to see the women follow in the men’s footsteps.

“So I think it’s exciting and Irish golf is a good place. I think it’s only going to get better, and I think events like this and also for us having the Irish Open back on the schedule I think it’s great. I believe that we’re in a good spot. It’s just going to keep getting better.”

Unfortunately, this event, which showcases LPGA, LET and DP World Tour players, will be short-lived. The DP World Tour released its 2024 schedule earlier this week and the ISPS Handa wasn’t included. Organizers told BBC Sport there are plans for another big event in the region, but the mixed format – in which male and female players compete for the same size purse – will not be extended.

Still, the sunsetting of the tournament hasn’t dampened the spirits of those in this week’s field. Maguire, for example, is eager to play again just two hours from her home of Cavan. She says she loves the support, even if it’s a bit overwhelming at times.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it pressure. I think the Irish fans are fantastic to come out and support their own, whether it’s golf or whether it’s Women’s World Cup a few weeks ago or whatever it is,” Maguire said. “I think it’s always nice to have people wishing you well and rooting you on and wanting to see you do well. You can call it pressure, but either way, you want to do as well as you can every week, and this week is really no different.

“It’s nice to have that sort of extra support there when you hit a good shot and things like that. Yeah, it’s just a little bit of an extra incentive to do better this week.”

If Maguire does find that extra incentive, the field best beware. She’s missed just one cut in 14 starts this year and has posted five top-10 finishes, including a win at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Using a white-hot putter of late, she’ll be looking to improve on last year’s 10th-place finish, and would be the perfect final winner during the event’s swan song.

2023 Women's PGA Championship
Stephanie Meadow chips a shot onto the 3rd green during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Meadow, meanwhile, will be looking to rekindle the magic she displayed  in 2019 when she won the event. The tournament is played at two courses through the opening two rounds with men’s groups and women’s groups alternating. After the cut, the final two rounds will all be played at Galgorm.

The win in 2019 was an extra special one for Meadow, as she had her husband on the bag.

“I mean, that was such an amazing memory to have all my friends and family here,” said Meadow, who is a member at nearby Ballyclare Golf Club as well as Royal Portrush. “To do it at a golf course where I took lessons up on the range there when I was 10 years old, I mean, talk about a transformation. Obviously, a super special memory and I’m excited to be back here again.”

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