It pays to play well on the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, especially in co-sanctioned events.
This week’s tournament, the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational featured two competitions being held at the same time with 144 women and 144 men playing for $1.5 million in prize money.
Alexa Pano celebrated her 19th birthday on Sunday with her first LPGA win at Galgorm Castle Golf club in Antrim, Northern Ireland, after the teenage phenom fended off Esther Henseleit and Gabriella Cowley in a three-way playoff that lasted three holes.
For her efforts, Pano will leave with the top-prize of $225,000, while Henseleit and Cowley each took home $122,794. In fact, players who failed to make the 54-hole cut still left with some money, too.
Check out the prize money payouts for each women’s player at the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational.
Both Pano and Brown were first-time winners at the joint women’s and men’s event in Northern Ireland.
Alexa Pano got her first LPGA win for her birthday.
The teenage phenom turned 19 on Sunday and picked up a hard-earned victory at the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle Golf club in Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Pano took down both Esther Henseleit and Gabriella Cowley – who all finished regulation at 8 under – in a three-way, three-hole playoff. Henseleit was eliminated first with a bogey on the par-5 18th. Pano and Cowley made par to force a third playing of No. 18, where Pano won with birdie.
“Gosh, this is so surreal. I mean, I still haven’t processed it,” said Pano after the round. “I couldn’t process it on 18 green, but still, kind of sinking in right now. Just so cool.”
“Yeah, definitely was not conservative at all today,” said Pano. “I struggled a little bit off the tee, but other than that I was able to be aggressive. Luckily my putter was hot today, so that was helpful.”
Pano shot a 6-under 66 in the final round and forced a playoff with a pair of birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 after a late bogey on the par-4 16th. The Florida native didn’t know the situation on the leaderboard until someone on No. 17 made a comment.
“He was like, ‘shouldn’t have made bogey there.’ Kind of rude, but it motivated me to make two birdies back-to-back,” said Pano. “And so I did know going into 17, but that’s the only reason why. Those back-to-back birdies I knew I had to do, and luckily I did.”
After she earned her card for the season via LPGA Q-Series, Pano has made just five cuts in her rookie year, with one top-20 finish in addition to her win in 12 starts. She’s the third rookie to win this season and one of eight first-time winners on the season.
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool,” Pano said of the fact that she’s the youngest winner of the season at 19. “Was almost 18 but I guess I’m just better at 19.”
Before skipping college to turn professional, Pano had a decorated junior golf career and was a three-time Drive, Chip and Putt national finalist and the youngest player in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also featured in the 2012 Netflix documentary, The Short Game.
The ISPS Handa World Invitational is a unique event on the schedule as it features two competitions being held at the same time with 144 women and 144 men playing for $1.5 million in prize money.
On the men’s side, Daniel Brown ran away with a five-shot victory to claim his first victory in just his 20th start. Brown had just three top-10 starts entering the week, with a best finish of T-5 in March at the South African Open.
“It feels amazing. I could never have dreamed this up in the past however many years and months,” said Brown. “(My mom was) blubbering down the phone. I’m over the moon, but it probably hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t know. I almost still feel like someone’s going to crop up and say there’s another day left or something. Crazy.”
Brown took the lead on Thursday with a 6-under 64 and cruised to victory in the final round with a 1-under 69. Alex Fitzpatrick (68) finished second at 10 under, with Eddie Pepperell (68) in third at 7 under.
Unique event not on future schedule
This event, which showcases LPGA, LET and DP World Tour players, is not on the 2024 DP World Tour schedule, which was released last week.
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.
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.”
ANTRIM, Northern Ireland — Marissa Steen has had to lean on patience and perseverance in the face of numerous obstacles during her time on the former Symetra Tour and now the LPGA. The former University of Memphis star has battled injuries and self-doubt and has been forced to play the long game with her career.
It’s starting to pay off.
The 33-year-old had a career year in 2021, amassing nearly $200,000 in earnings after needing ankle surgery in 2019. She’s added a couple of big results this year, as well, finishing 15th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer and then adding a top-25 showing at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
This week at the ISPS Handa World Invitational, Steen was given an upfront challenge in the event that plays the opening two days on different courses: the parkland Galgorm Castle course and the Castlerock links. While others ran out to a big early lead by posting a low number at the vulnerable Castlerock, she trudged through a solid 70 at Galgorm, the best number on that course for the opening round. On Friday, when players switched courses, many of those who’d beaten up on Castlerock had trouble at Galgorm.
So, using a steady 72 in her second round at the links course, Steen rocketed up the leaderboard into the lead of this tournament that mixes LPGA, Ladies European Tour and DP World Tour players.
“Really, my main goal going into today was just to stay patient. Out here on this links course, it’s just so much more exposed. That was all I was saying, was just stay patient. It’s not going to play easy for anyone,” said Steen, who grew up in Cincinnati. “My first five holes were dead into the wind. I was pretty happy to be even through that stretch. Yeah, and hung tough. Luckily made a long putt on the last, which I always joke will make lunch taste a little bit better.”
Steen was smart enough to know that the best recipe for success on Friday was to simply outlast the field on Thursday. It’s something she’s had to do with her career, so this came naturally. She knew that staying even-keeled on the tougher Galgorm was her best chance.
“I think it was huge. I told my caddie, I have a local caddie this week, and I told him after our practice round at Galgorm I think out there it’s really important to drive it well because it gets really narrow in some places off the tee and the rough is super thick,” she said. “The couple holes that I hit it into the rough it was just a guessing game on how the ball is going to come out. And with more trees, the wind really swirls and it’s a lot harder to judge than out here at Castlerock.
“Galgorm was still challenging yesterday, just in a different way. Really in the UK in general just because the wind and the weather can just be so crazy, I always think just over here, just stay as patient as possible.”
Steen’s finest moment thus far came on the 18th hole on Friday. She dropped a 50-foot birdie putt that pushed her tournament total to 3 under, a stroke ahead of Esther Henseleit atop the leaderboard.
She’s not pressing. Steen hasn’t notched a victory of any sort since she won three times on the then-Symetra Tour in 2014, so she’s simply happy to stay in the mix.
“I feel good,” she said. “I’ve been rolling it really well on the greens, which is obviously a huge confidence booster. Just want to take the same mentality I had the first two rounds through the weekend.”
ANTRIM, Northern Ireland – A twinkle surfaced in Olivia Mehaffey’s eyes as she fondly recalled the last time her father graced the fairways at one of her events, the 2021 playing of the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
Philip Mehaffey hadn’t gotten out of bed in months after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2020, but after a motorized scooter was delivered to his home in the small village of Scarva, Northern Ireland, he came to see his daughter make good in her first LPGA start.
Although she expected him to simply make a quick appearance, Olivia was utterly impressed by her father’s determination to see her play, and the support helped spur her on to a top-20 finish.
“I kept looking every fairway and I’m like, oh, my gosh he’s still here. I think he needs to go home,” Mehaffey said Wednesday at Galgorm Castle Golf Club as she prepared for the final playing of the ISPS Handa International, as it was announced this week the event was not included in the 2024 DP World Tour schedule.
“So just having him there every round was so nice for me. So I think probably just those memories and like how special it was to have him there beside me every shot, every hole.”
Soon after her triumphant home debut, Mehaffey’s life slipped into a dark place. Her father succumbed to the disease in December 2021, and the former Arizona State star – one of three Sun Devils to earn All-American honors in all four years of college – threw herself headfirst into the game as a means to deal with the pain.
To open the 2022 season, Mehaffey subjected herself to a golf gauntlet; an eight-week stretch of consecutive tournaments that saw her passport stamped in South Africa, Thailand, Australia and Spain. When it was over, her game was slipping and she was flirting with a dangerous mixture of exhaustion and uncertainty, both on the golf course and off. She finally had a self-diagnosed breakdown after pulling out of the Skafto Open in Sweden nearly a year ago.
That’s when Mehaffey knew she needed time to process what she’d been through. Away from the game she loves.
“Grief is the weirdest thing I’ve ever been through,” she told the Irish Times as part of a fascinating read. “I think that’s one of the reasons people don’t talk much about it. It’s because it’s so hard to explain. You don’t know when it’s going to come.
“I’ve had times when I’ve felt totally fine, and then all it’s taken is one thought to trigger it and I’m a mess. And in life, we’re basically taught that everything can be answered. But everyone’s experience is so different, it comes to different people in different ways and at different times. That’s what makes it hard for people to understand.”
Olivia Mehaffey and her father, Philip, and mother, Evelyn
She put the clubs down. She stopped thinking about attacking flags and started contemplating what made her tick. After months of reflection, Mehaffey posted on her personal blog at the beginning of 2023 that she was emerging from the depths she’d suffered through.
“As I look back and reflect on the last 12 months, it is easy to only see the hurt, the hard times and the tears. I still feel the scars that 2022 has given me. But I am also able to see the progress. I know where I was, the dark places I experienced alone and felt the lowest I ever have. I also see the progress,” she said. “I recognize the work I have put into getting myself out of a dark hole and the improvements, although it still isn’t where I want it to be. I am proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone, for being brave to get help and for admitting to my struggles. I know 2022 has given me the ability to have new tools and strategies that I have never had before.”
To see her this week at the ISPS Handa, back in the comfort of her homeland, is to see a player who seems to have found the balance necessary to succeed. She bounced through the media center for interviews Wednesday with the wide smile and long blonde locks that made her look native to the Tempe, Arizona, campus where she spent so many successful seasons.
Mehaffey posted a best-ever third-place finish on the LET Tour at the Ladies Open By Pickala Rock Resort in Finland a few weeks ago, and she hopes that with friends and family on hand this week, she’ll be ready to again do her father proud, even if he’s not following along on each fairway.
“At the start of the year I didn’t set any goals. Normally I set where I want to finish, order of merit, world ranking, try and win tournaments. I didn’t do any of that this year,” she said. “I just wanted to come back from my break last year and really enjoy golf, and frankly I’m doing that again, which is great. So I’m just going to keep that same mentality for the rest of the year.
“I think when you’re enjoying it you’re playing good, so that’s sort of my only goal. Try not to put no pressure on myself, no expectations, which is difficult at times to manage, but I think it’s very important.”
Mehaffey prepared for a busy stretch by employing a strategy she hadn’t been comfortable with in the past – staying away from tournament golf. When she starts her first round today at Galgorm Castle, she will have been off the road for three full weeks.
The balance seems to have put her at peace.
“It’s been nice having a few weeks off. Took the first week and didn’t play. Felt like I was getting a little bit burnt out; played a lot of golf,” Mehaffey said. “And then last two weeks just working a lot with my coach. It’s been nice to prepare for this. It’s going to be a really busy finish to the rest of the year. The LET schedule is pretty busy.
“So a lot of practicing and just really get prepared for obviously Irish Open after this as well. It’s great to have two events at home in a row.”
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.
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.
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.”
Maja Stark earns LPGA membership while Ewen Ferguson wins for second time on DP World Tour.
Last week at Muirfield, Sweden’s Maja Stark asked herself “What would Tiger do?” throughout the AIG Women’s British Open. It was a call to be both aggressive and fearless. After a final-round 79, her instructor encouraged her to just be Maja.
Turns out 22-year-old Stark can find great success without channeling Woods.
A 10-birdie day and course-record 63 landed Stark a five-shot victory at 20 under Sunday at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland. The event, which is co-sanctioned by the LPGA, DP World Tour and LET, gave Stark the chance to immediately accept LPGA membership for the rest of 2022 and 2023, which she did.
“That was all I came here for,” said Stark. “Like I just wanted that winner’s category. I was so nervous. I hate qualifying. It’s great that I don’t have to do that again.”
Maja Stark has accepted @lpga membership, which means we’ll be seeing the new rookie pull off this kind of action a lot more often! https://t.co/BrelOrSnLz
While Stark’s sparkling play in the final round earned her the title, Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson posted a course-record of his own, a 9-under 61, on Thursday at Galgorm Castle on the strength of two eagles and capped off a wire-to-wire victory in the men’s division.
The men and women competed for equal prize money in two separate 72-hole stroke play events. The two fields split a purse of $3 million.
Ferguson’s final-round 69 put him at 12 under for the tournament and two shots ahead of compatriot and friend Connor Syme. It marks Ferguson’s second victory on the DP World Tour.
“My whole family’s life revolves around me playing golf,” said Ferguson. “Their happiness seems like it’s all about me and my golf. It’s been a good year, and obviously you get times where it doesn’t go so well, so I think you really need to appreciate things where you’re picking up trophies or you’re making cuts and you’re doing all right because it’s a really tough game.”
Ferguson did note, however, that he banned his parents from coming this week because he needed to focus. He was surprised by how calm he felt on Sunday.
“I said to my mum last night,” said Ferguson, “no matter what, if I win or lose, I’m going to smile at the cameras so everyone is feeling happy at home.
“Tried my best to do that.”
Connor Syme embraces Ewen Ferguson on the 18th hole at the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle and Massereene Golf Clubs in Northern Ireland. (Photo: Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)
Ireland’s Leona Maguire, the highest-ranked player in the field this week, finished 10th. The former Duke star said last week at Muirfield, where she took a share of fourth, took a lot out of her.
“I didn’t really have any ‘A’ game this week,” said Maguire, “so squeezed a bit out of it in the end, and always nice to finish with a good round on Sunday.”
American rookie Allisen Corpuz finished a career-best second with birdies on the last two holes. Georgia Hall of England came in solo third, followed by Linn Grant.
Stark and Grant have pushed each other since they turned professional, and Grant was there to celebrate with her friend when she walked off the green at Galgorm Castle. Earlier this summer, Grant became the first female to win on the DP World Tour when she beat the field of men and women by nine strokes at the Scandinavian Mixed.
On Saturday, the two young Swedes played together and set a goal of trying to make a combined 16 birdies. Stark shot 69 in that round.
Stark, a former Oklahoma State standout who left college after two seasons, has now won seven times since turning pro nearly one year ago. She now has five-time LPGA winner and Solheim stalwart Sophie Gustafson, a fellow Swede, on her bag. Stark’s title marks the 100th victory on the LET for Swedish players.
“I did not expect this at all,” said Stark. “If you told me a year ago that I would have a win on the LPGA, I would not have believed it.”
Maja Stark became the seventh first-time winner on the LPGA this season with her commanding five-stroke triumph at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland. The victory qualified Stark, a former standout at Oklahoma State, for immediate LPGA membership.
Stark has now won seven times worldwide since turning professional last summer.
Two of the seven first-time winners – Jennifer Kupcho and Ashleigh Buhai – won majors. Last week, Buhai became the 44th player to become a Rolex first-time winner at a major.
The record for most first-time winners in a season is 11, set in 1995. In 2018, there were 10: Jin Young Ko, Pernilla Lindberg, Moriya Jutanugarn, Annie Park, Nasa Hataoka, Thidapa Suwannapura, Georgia Hall, Marina Alex, Nelly Korda and Gaby Lopez.
Here’s a closer look at the seven first timers in 2022:
Maguire bounced back nicely to shoot a 5-under 68.
First tee shot out of bounds? No problem.
Tournament favorite Leona Maguire opened with a bogey on the par-5 first hole at Galgorm Castle and still managed to finish one shot off the lead after carding a 5-under 68 at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland.
Maguire, who has twin sister Lisa on the bag, followed that bogey with an eagle on the par-5 third hole and finished off her round with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 16-18.
“Didn’t hit enough fairways,” said Maguire, who hit seven total. “Didn’t really feel comfortable over a lot of the tee shots. This course doesn’t suit my eye very well, so kind of nice to have a change of scenery.”
The field played both Galgorm Castle and Massereene Golf Club, with men and women alternating tee times. The ISPS Handa World is a co-sanctioned event between the LPGA, LET and DP World Tour. There are two fields of 132 men and 132 women who will compete over two separate 72-hole stroke play events for a total of $3 million, split evenly.
Maguire, the first Irishwoman to win on the LPGA, finds herself one back of American Amanda Doherty and tied with Georgia Hall, Lee-Anne Pace and Lauren Coughlin.
Galgorm, Northern Ireland – AUGUST 10: Leona Maguire of Ireland with caddie and sister Lisa Maguire prior to the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics at Galgorm Castle and Massereene Golf Clubs on August 10, 2022 in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson posted a 9-under 61 at Galgorm Castle in the men’s division on the strength of two eagles. Ferguson leads by four over a trio that includes LIV player Richard Bland at 5 under.
“Played the pro-am with Niall (Horan) and me and Robbie Keane yesterday and I kept hitting a lot of bunkers,” Ferguson said. “They were saying, you love the bunkers. See you tomorrow. Just try and stay out of them.
“Today was just nice to avoid them all, which was good. Obviously, a 61, so course record is pretty nice.”
✅ Course record 61 ✅ Leads by four ✅ Played with friend @connor_syme
At last week’s AIG Women’s British Open, Maguire carded Sunday’s best round, a bogey-free 64, to post a career-best fourth-place finish in a major.
“If I had the putted today like I putted on Sunday,” she said, “would be a bit of a different story. If I can take the ball striking from last week and add it to the putting today, I would be very happy.”
Hall enjoyed an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch on Nos. 3-5 on Galgorm and dropped only one shot in her opening 68.
“I felt I played fairly average, to be honest,” she said, “because there are a lot of chances out there today.”
Maja Stark, the Race to Costa del Sol leader, rebounded from a tough 79 on Sunday at the AIG Women’s British Open to shoot 69 at the par-72 Massereene Golf Club.
“I feel like I was just so drained after that last round because I feel like I really tried to play well the whole round, but then nothing seemed to work, said Stark of Sunday at Muirfield. “I just collapsed when I got in.
“So I’ve been nice to myself and taking some time off. Not time off; obviously been playing the practice rounds and the pro-am. But then not practicing as much as I usually do, because I can feel that I’ve been easily annoyed and stuff like that the last week.”
The event is a co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour, Ladies European Tour and LPGA.
Leona Maguire will compete in front of Irish fans at an LPGA event for the first time since becoming the first Irishwoman to win on tour last February at the LPGA Drive On Championship. The president of Ireland called her after the historic moment.
The 27-year-old Maguire is the highest-ranked player in the field at the ISPS Handa World Invitational after moving up to No. 17 following her T-4 finish at the AIG Women’s British Open, the best major finish of her career.
The ISPS Handa World Invitational is a co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour, Ladies European Tour and LPGA. There will be 132 men and 132 women competing in two separate 72-hole stroke play tournaments (one for men and one for women) at the Galgorm Castle and Massereene Golf Club in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. For the first two rounds, all players will play one round on each course.
The total purse of $3 million will be split evenly between the men and women at $1.5 million each.
Here are six LPGA players to watch this week in Northern Ireland:
