Leona Maguire wasted no time in setting out her ambitions for the new LPGA Tour season, as the 30-year-old Solheim Cup star posted a two-under-par 70 in the first round of the season-opening HGV Tournament of Championship on the LPGA Tour at Lake Nona to move into a share of fourth place.
As South Korean A Lim Kim, the 2020 US Women’s Open champion, produced a bogey-free round that featured seven birdies in a 65 to claim a four strokes lead over Jin Young Ko and Patty Tavatanakit, Maguire was among a group of 10 players bunched in tied-fourth as her winter work reaped benefits to move into contention in the limited field of just 32 players.
Maguire owed her place in the Tournament of Champions to her Meijer Classic win of 2023, with the LPGA Tour providing a two-year exemption into this season-opener. And a round of five birdies and two bogeys lifted the Co Cavan player, who is based at the Florida resort, into the mix.
For Maguire, who had worked with coach Shane O’Grady over the Christmas break at home in Cavan before returning to her US base at Lake Nona, an opening birdie on the par-5 11th was followed by a dropped shot on the 12th before she managed back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th. Another dropped shot on the pa- 3 17th proved to be her second bogey of a round that saw further birdies on the third and seventh holes.
Unfortunately for Maguire, a bogey six on the par-5 ninth – her finishing hole – dropped her out of a share of second.
“Any day you’re under par it’s always a good start to the year. Gave myself a few chances. Putted pretty nice today. I left a few out there I would say, but overall pretty happy with the start. I took advantage of the par-5s today apart from nine. I’m working on a few things, obviously still fine tuning. It’s nice to get a test here to see where the game is at,” said Maguire.
“I drove the ball pretty well today, which I didn’t quite do well enough last year. Made a bit of progress on that. Holed a few nice putts. Overall it’s pretty good. Not too rusty. I would say chipping was a little bit rusty today at times. Not bad for the first round of the year.”
Maguire’s all-round game was sharp for her opening tournament of the year, finding 13 of 14 fairways and hitting 12 of 18 greens-in-regulation and in position to challenge over the remaining three rounds. The Irish golfer is also in the field for next week’s Founders Cup.
Kim, the world number 55, and in the field thanks to her win in the Lotte Championship last season, produced a bogey-free round of seven birdies that came as something of a surprise given that she had spent much of the winter working on her physical fitness rather than sharpening her golf game.
“In January I focus on body, weight training, and then some strength training. But this week I feel really great,” said Kim, who continues to juggle playing on both the Korean LPGA Tour and the LPGA Tour stateside.
World number one Nelly Korda, a seven-times winner last season, opened with a 71 while defending champion Lydia Ko signed for a first round of two-over 73.
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