Maguire braced for Major test at new-look Chevron Championship

Leona Maguire recently posted a photograph with her sister Lisa of what she termed fulfilling a “bucket list” wish to visit the Grand Canyon and, no doubt, another ambition the world-ranked number 15 would like to achieve would be getting her hands on a Major title.

The first of five such opportunities comes with this week’s Chevron Championship at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Carlton Woods in Houston, Texas.

The first women’s Major of the season takes place slightly later in the schedule than usual on its move from the Californian desert to the tree-lined Texan setting. But the event has again attracted a stellar field headed by world number one Lydia Ko.

Maguire is playing for the sixth time on the LPGA Tour so far this season – with a best-finish of tied-sixth in the Thailand LPGA event – while Stephanie Meadow, the other Irish player in the field, has a best finish of tied-23rd in the Drive On Championship in her three appearances on the US circuit this year.

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Ko – a two-time Major champion, including the Chevron in 2016 – is among those players to have welcomed the move to a new venue and a new date in the schedule.

“It’s sometimes weird to have change, but I think it’s change for the better . . . to be able to also respect the history that we had (at Rancho Mirage) and to bring it here into [Chevron’s] backyard, I think it’s exciting.”

With Ulsterman David Jones on the bag in a change of caddie this season, Ko started her year’s work with a win in the Aramco on the LET while her best finish on the LPGA Tour was a tied-sixth alongside Maguire in Thailand.

Ko arrived early to Houston to get to know the course but also discovered the pine trees were not her friend.

As Ko put it: “I probably broke the course record in sneezing on Sunday or Saturday. I was sneezing so much. I told that to my husband, I was like, ‘I broke the course record in sneezing’, but he only heard the course record, and he was like, ‘you must have played great’, and I was like, ‘no’, I meant in sneezing because there’s a lot of pine trees here and I have allergies.

“But it’s good to get used to the golf course and just see like which areas are not bad places to miss, and I think with Major championships and especially golf courses like this, sometimes a bogey is not the end of the world, and when you do have an opportunity you can make birdie, and just being really patient out here, and I think the more you get used to it, the better I’m able to understand that.”

For US Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis, there will be a hometown feel this week as she stays in her parents’ house although she learned her golf growing up at The Woodlands rather than at this venue. Still, she is another to embrace the move.

As she explained, “We always had such a short season prior to when we were playing at Mission Hills. Some people had only played one or two events. I like the move back a couple weeks, getting off the Masters, getting off of the Augusta National Women’s Am.

“I think it will help this championship out a lot . . . it’s the first Major [of the season]), and when you start practising in January, this is what you’re thinking about, this is what you’re getting ready for!”

LOWDOWNS

The Chevron Championship

Purse: €4.6 million (€698,000 to the winner)

Where: Houston, Texas, USA

The course: A move away from its long-time home in Rancho Mirage which staged the championship since 1972, the first women’s Major of the season takes place at The Club at Carlton Woods. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the layout winds its way through parkland with a large number of water features. The greens are protected by large bunkering complexes throughout. “The course we have created takes full advantage of the beautifully wooded terrain,” said Nicklaus of his design. Among a series of really good Par 3s is the 192 yards 12th hole which is played from an elevated tee across a lake to a green protected by the lake with two bunkers short and another at the back.

The field: As you’d expect, a very strong field with 42 of the world’s tiop-50 playing: World number one Lydia Ko – a winner earlier in the year in the Aramco Saudi International on the LET – is a past winner of the event while Jennifer Kupcho is the defending champion and the last player to have made that traditional jump into Poppie’s Pond. There is also a pond by the 18th in Houston so we may well see the extension of that champion’s jump into the water, albeit at a different venue.

Quote-Unquote: “That was my request, mac and cheese, it’s my favourite food. It was absolutely awesome!” – Jennifer Kupcho on her choice of menu at the Champions Dinner.

Irish in the field: Stephanie Meadow is in a group alongside Mi Hyang Lee and Mao Saigo (2.43pm Irish time); Leona Maguire is grouped with Hyo Joo Kim and Paula Reto (7.21pm Irish time).

Betting: With a premium on long irons – and even fairway woods – on approach shots, no surprise to find Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda as market leaders at 10-1 while Jin Young Ko is rated an 11-1 shot. Lilia Vu has impressed so far this season and is worth a look at 18/1, while Leona Maguire is rated a 40-1 prospect which looks decent each-way.

On TV: Live on Sky Sports Golf (from 4pm).

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Purse: €7.85 million (€1.4m to the winning pair)

Where: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

The course: TPC Louisiana – 7,425 yards, par 72 – is a Pete Dye design with input from former tour player Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson. The course, which opened for play in 2004, is a public facility located in over 250 acres of wetlands along the Mississippi river and features in excess of 100 bunkers and five water hazards. The signature hole is the risk-reward Par 5 18th which, in true Dye spirit, features water in play all the way down the right-hand side of the hole.

The field: The appeal of something different has generated quite a strong and interesting assembly for this only team format event on the PGA Tour. This is a two-man team event with players playing better-ball four balls on days one and three and foursomes on days two and four. The headline pairing and defending champions is that of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele (ranked four and five in the world), while the Fitzpatrick brothers, Matt and Alex, will tee up together for the first time in the event.

Quote-Unquote: “We’re both playing pretty good golf coming off of a solid week. I think sometimes two minds is better than one, especially when they’re both working well” – Xander Schauffele on working as a team with Patrick Cantlay.

Irish in the field: Zilch!

Betting: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele are priced at 11-4 (compared to 8-1 at the outset a year ago) which indicates how strongly fancied they are to retain the title while Max Homa and Collin Morikawa are 15-2. The value bet looks to be the 40-1 about Joel Dahmen and Denny McCarthy.

On TV: Live on Sky Sports (from 8pm)