Three players will make their debut for the European side next month in Spain.
In just a month’s time the U.S. and Europe will square off at the 2023 Solheim Cup, and one of the two squads has been set.
European captain Suzann Pettersen announced her four captain’s picks on Tuesday, completing the 12-player team bound for Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, Sept. 22-24. Team Europe is comprised of the top-two players in the Europe Solheim Cup standings, the top-six players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking (not already eligible) and four captain’s picks.
The Americans have been victorious 10 times, most recently in 2017 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa, while the Europeans are looking for a third consecutive win and their eighth overall.
Meet the 12 players who will take on the U.S. at the 2023 Solheim Cup.
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.”
For the first time ever, the best women golfers in the world are headed to the Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach Golf Links for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open.
The storylines are plentiful with Amy Olson playing while seven months pregnant, Michelle Wie West teeing it up for the final time as a professional and Rose Zhang being the outright betting favorite.
In two LPGA starts this season, the former Stanford star won the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National and tied for eighth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in her first major start as a pro. Zhang is listed at 12/1 at several sportsbooks.
Golf course
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Par 72 | 6,816 yards
The U.S. Women’s Open Trophy at the No. 7 hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo: Kip Evans/USGA)
[afflinkbutton text=”Book your trip to Pebble Beach today” link=”https://www.golfbreaks.com/en-us/vacations/monterey/pebble-beach-golf-links/?cid=999740797&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=golfweek&utm_campaign=usa_best_classic_courses_q2_23_gw”]
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Stephanie Meadow can only imagine the number of drinks that will be flowing at Royal Portrush should an Irishwoman triumph at Baltusrol on Sunday. Meadow trails her childhood friend Leona Maguire by two strokes heading into the final round at the KPMG Women’s PGA.
With the PGA of America moving up tee times due to weather and going off split tees in threesomes, Maguire and Meadow will play together in the final group alongside Jenny Shin, who sits alone in third.
“I’ll put it this way,” said Meadow. “I knew her when she was reading Harry Potter books.”
Maguire, winner of last week’s LPGA Meijer Classic, became the first woman from Ireland to win on the LPGA in 2022. A birdie on the 18th put her at 7 under for the championship. She’s the only player in the field with three consecutive rounds in the 60s at Baltusrol’s Lower Course.
Maguire reckons she has known Meadow for about 18 years.
“We played on Ulster county teams together and played on Irish teams together,” said Maguire. “We played Curtis Cup together. We played foursomes together. We roomed together.
“I’ve known Steph a long time. We’ve been good friend a long time. We’ve done battle many times before. It’s great to see her playing so well.”
Northern Ireland’s Meadow, a newlywed, ranks 151st in the world and got a boost last week with her season-best T-13 in Michigan. She was there waiting on the 18th green at the Meijer with celebratory champagne for her longtime friend.
Maguire’s Irish caddie, Dermot Byrne, caddied for Shane Lowry at the 2016 PGA at Baltusrol and has been key to her success the past two years.
“I think the biggest thing is he has given me the confidence,” said Maguire. “I think he has believed in me in times where I haven’t believed in myself. He is just a really steady presence out there.
“I think he doesn’t get too excited when things are going well, and he doesn’t get too down when things aren’t. I think we’re quite similar in that regard.”
Stephanie Meadow chips a shot onto the 3rd green during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. (Photo: John Jones/USA TODAY Sports)
Shin’s 66 matched the low round of the day and put her in contention for her first LPGA title in eight years. The 30 year old said there was a period of time when she was content with not winning. She was happy enough simply playing decent golf. But after a self-evaluation a few years back, she decided that she wanted more.
“You know, this is my 13th year out here,” said Shin. “I’m sure if you ask any player that’s been out here this long, there’s ups and downs and phases in life, and I think I went through that phase.
“So now, you know, I want to win more than anything.”
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko lurks four shots back and is the only player in the top six who has won a major, two in fact.
[pickup_prop id=”34076″]
She began the day with three bogeys in the first four holes and then poured in four consecutive birdies on the back nine in what proved to be an unusually up-and-down round.
“Still, I don’t know this golf course,” Ko said with a laugh.
Lee-Anne Pace, a South African who made her first LPGA start to the season at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and played her way into the KPMG with a T-30 finish, sits tied at 4 under with China’s Ruoning Yin, who won her first LPGA title earlier this season at the DIO Implant L.A. Open. Yin hit 17 greens in the first round and 18 on Saturday.
“If my putting can just get online,” said Yin, “I think I have a big chance to win.”
Lauren Coughlin began the week with a 75 but pulled herself into a share of sixth with Ko after rounds of 67-68. She’s made only one bogey in the last 36 holes.
“I just kept telling myself, like, you’re really good at golf,” said Coughlin, who at 30 is still looking for her first LPGA win. “I think I forget that sometimes, and that was something I just kept telling myself all day yesterday and again today if any nerves or anything came up.”
Rookie sensation Rose Zhang eagled the last hole, nestling it up to 5 feet with a 5-wood from 219 yards. Zhang, who made her professional debut in a major this week, sits in a share of 12th, six shots back.
“I felt like my swing was really solid,” said Zhang. “It was way better than the first couple days. Finally getting in the groove.”
Leona Maguire’s Irish village threw a parade when she helped win a Solheim Cup. Imagine what they’d do if she won a major.
SPRINGFIELD, New Jersey — Leona Maguire’s Irish village threw a parade in her honor when she led Europe to a Solheim Cup victory two years ago. The highlight, she said, was that her 96-year-old grandmother, Kathleen, got to ride in the passenger seat beside her, soaking in the scene of well-wishers cheering them on after a prolonged period of strict lockdown.
Imagine what they’d do if she became the first Irish woman to win a major.
Maguire, hot off her second career victory at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, leads a major championship for the first time in her career at the KPMG Women’s PGA. The former Duke star shot 3-under 68 on another rainy day in Jersey to pace the field at 5-under 137. Her 2021 Solheim Cup partner at Inverness, Mel Reid, shot 67 to pull into a share of second with rookie Celine Borge of Norway and China’s Xiyu Lin.
Two-time major winner Minjee Lee sits two back at 3 under with Lee-Anne Pace, a 42-year-old who got into the ShopRite LPGA Classic two weeks ago and played her way into this event with a T-30 finish there.
Maguire, who last Sunday credited Padraig Harrington’s help with her short game last summer in helping her win the Meijer, became the first Irishwoman to win on the LPGA last season.
“I think Ireland as a country punches well above our weight when it comes to golf,” said Maguire, “and it’s nice to have the guys looking out for me, Padraig, Paul (McGinley), Shane (Lowry). All of the guys have been very good to me, and very appreciative of all of that.”
She celebrated that victory with her team on Monday at Ruth’s Chris, where she had steak and her favorite side dish, sweet potato casserole. Maguire and her caddie reminisced about that dinner during the worse-than-usual wait times between shots.
“I think the big thing today was staying really patient,” said Maguire, “given that we were in a two, jam-packed in a field that wasn’t really moving. Did a good job at sort of staying — concentrating and sort of warm when I needed to. It kind of kept the momentum going.”
Maguire played in a twosome with Hinako Shibuno on Friday after their third, Austin Ernst, withdrew after the first round. Ernst recently announced her retirement from the LPGA due to a lingering neck injury.
Leona Maguire putts on the 18th green during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
A total of 79 players made the cut. Nelly Korda, No. 2, was the biggest name to miss the weekend after rounds of 76-77. Atthaya Thitikul, Jennifer Kupcho and Lilia Vu also went home early. Lexi Thompson birdied four of the last five holes to avoid a similar fate.
Reid told her wife Carly last September that she was going to take a job in the media and quit golf. She’d been dealing with an overuse injury to her right wrist and thought it might be time to walk away. Time with her mental coach Duncan McCarthy, however, helped her hit the restart button after taking a medical leave from the tour.
“I think I had six events to play well to get reshuffled after Founders,” said Reid. “I think I birdied the last at Founders to make the cut on the number, and it’s funny, that was huge for me. Then I finished 27th or 25th or something, which kind of reshuffled me back into stuff, which kind of took a little bit of pressure off.”
Reid and her wife are expecting their first child later this year. That has also increased her hunger to succeed.
The game can, at times, feel like an obsession to the fiery English player. Being constantly switched on, in analyzing mode, left her feeling drained.
“So we’ve done a really good job, not perfect, but kind of when I’m at the golf course, I’m Mel the golfer, very professional, get my work done, very present,” she said. “When I’m at home, I’m present with my friends, with Carly, whatever it is I’m doing, and we’re just trying to separate that.”
The Performance Insights relies on caddies to gather information and turn in a special card after each round.
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Two years ago, KPMG launched an analytics platform to help narrow the information divide between the men’s and women’s games. The program, similar to what’s offered on the DP World Tour, relies on caddies to gather information and turn in a special card after each round. KPMG pays the caddies a small stipend.
It’s an evolving system that gets more useful over time as data accumulates.
Scorecard numbers can only tell so much of the story, and as the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship kicks off this week at historic Baltusrol for the first time, we take a closer look at the Performance Insights numbers of five players to keep an eye on in New Jersey.
Check out the prize money payouts at the 2023 Meijer LPGA Classic.
BELMONT, Mich. – Ireland’s Leona Maguire’s pockets just got a little bit heavier. The first-time Meijer LPGA Classic champion, and second time winner on the LPGA, claimed $375,000 for the first-place prize, more than her total earnings for the 2023 season thus far. The total purse for the event was $2.5 million.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn also collected a healthy sum of $230,318 for finishing in the second-place spot. She also earned more money at this event than she has over the course of the season.
Here is the official prize money payouts for the 2023 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give:
Leona Maguire might have to pay Padraig Harrington another visit this summer.
Leona Maguire might have to pay Padraig Harrington another visit this summer. The Meijer LPGA Classic winner credited several key up-and-downs this week to shots Ireland’s Harrington, a three-time major winner, taught her last summer ahead of the AIG Women’s British Open.
As U.S. Open contender Rory McIlroy arrived at Los Angeles Country Club for the final round, Maguire was lighting up the closing holes at Blythefield Country Club in Bellmont, Michigan, on Sunday. After finishing runner-up at the Meijer the past two years, the Irishwoman put the hammer down on the field, playing the last six holes in 6 under to pull away with a back-nine 30 en route to a closing 64.
Maguire, 28, became the first Irishwoman to win on the LPGA in February 2022 at the Drive On Championship. The former Duke player dominated the amateur game, ranking No. 1 for 135 weeks, a record that was only recently broken by Rose Zhang.
Maguire began the day at 13 under and set a goal of getting to 20 under for the tournament. She bested that by a shot, beating Ariya Jutanugarn by two strokes and Xiyu “Janet” Lin and Amy Yang by three.
“It’s hugely satisfying,” Maguire said of her second career LPGA title. “I think it’s one thing knowing what to do; another thing executing on it.”
China’s Lin looked poised to collect her first trophy in 202 starts on the LPGA until a misfire off the tee on the 17th hole bounced off a spectator in a chair, resulting in a lie that required negotiating a tree. Lin wound up bogeying the hole as Maguire tapped in for birdie up ahead on the 18th.
“I learned something today, how to stay in process, stay true with myself, with my own game,” said Lin, who recovered from a bout with COVID last week.
“I feel like I didn’t do the best, but I did pretty good.”
Ariya Jutanugarn tried to put together one of the best comebacks on the LPGA since the 1980s after an opening 73 put her outside the top 100. The former No. 1 played the next three rounds 64-66-66 to finish runner-up.
Maguire will be one of the most talked-about players at next week’s KPMG Women’s PGA at famed Baltusrol Golf Club. She finished in the top 10 in two majors last season, including a career-best fourth at the AIG Women’s British Open at Muirfield. Maguire got a first look at Baltusrol’s Lower Course on Monday after the Mizuho Americas Open.
“It’s a beastly golf course,” she said. “It’s a real major venue. I think this week is good preparation for it. I feel like I drove the ball really well this week.
“I think the greens are going to be firm and fast there like they were here. A slightly different test, it being a major and all.”
The biggest key, Maguire said, will be resting and recovering as quickly as possible before getting to work on Monday in New Jersey with swing coach, Shane O’Grady, who has guided her since age 10.
O’Grady came to Orlando last week to work with Maguire at Lake Nona, making only minor adjustments. Maguire said her confidence has been strong for several weeks now, pointing to a key turning point to her season at the Chevron, when she shot 4 under on the back nine Friday to make the cut.
It’s worth noting that every champion in the history of the Meijer has won a major championship.
“I’m just trying to do what I do,” said Maguire, “and hopefully it’ll inspire a younger generation of Irish girls.”
Zhang has spent 136 weeks as the world’s leading female amateur golfer.
What can’t Rose Zhang do?
She has won just nearly every prestigious tournament an amateur can. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which she captured earlier this month. The U.S. Girls’ Junior. The U.S. Women’s Amateur. The NCAA individual title.
And Wednesday, she gets to tack yet another accomplishment to her resume: most weeks as the No. 1 golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Zhang has spent 136 weeks as the world’s leading female amateur golfer, surpassing the total of 135 weeks that Leona Maguire set in 2018. The record for male amateur golfers is 87 weeks, held by Keita Nakajima of Japan.
The sophomore at Stanford ascended to the No. 1 position in WAGR in September 2020. She also bested Lydia Ko’s record of 130 consecutive weeks by remaining at the top ever since.
“It’s an unbelievable honor and a testament to a lot of hard work not just by me but by my team as well,” Zhang said in a release. “Passing names like Lydia and Leona on any list is incredible; they’ve both gone on to have such impressive professional careers and are great role models in golf. I’m grateful for all the support I’ve received and look forward to continuing to pursue my dreams in this game.”
Zhang is a three-time winner of the Mark H. McCormack Medal, coming in 2020, 2021 and 2022, as the world’s leading women’s amateur golfer. Only Maguire and Ko have won the award three times previously.
“I want to congratulate Rose on this amazing achievement,” Maguire said in a release. “It takes so much hard work and determination to become the world’s number one amateur golfer and to consistently hold that position for a record-breaking number of weeks shows just how good a golfer Rose really is. She is a future star of the game.”
On Tuesday at the Pac-12 Championships at Papago Golf Course in Phoenix, she broke the 36-hole scoring record. Entering the final round, she is at 9 under with a four-shot lead. If Zhang were to hold on to win, it would be her 10th victory, setting a new Stanford record for wins by a women’s golfer in a career. Zhang is currently tied with Andrea Lee at nine.
View photos of Irish golfer Leona Maguire throughout her career
Leona Maguire is one of the faces of women’s European golf.
Maguire’s amateur career was full of accolades. The long list includes WGCA player of the year, ACC freshman of the year and player of the year and the 2017 British Ladies Amateur Championship. She was also named Golfweek‘s best amateur female golfer of the 2010s.
Since making her debut, Maguire has earned over $2.5 million on the Tour, tallied a win at the 2022 Drive On Championship, and played a pivotal role on the 2021 European Solheim Cup team going 4-0-1 in her debut.
With two top-eight finishes in 2022 majors and three top-five finishes between 2021-22, Maguire is certainly one to keep an eye on as we approach the 2023 majors.
