Stephanie Meadow shows a return to form ahead of Major challenge

And just like that, with a sense of perfect timing, Stephanie Meadow has rediscovered her form: a tied-10th finish in the JTBC Classic gave the Northern Irishwoman her first top-10 finish since the Olympic Games and a first on the LPGA Tour going back to a third-place finish in the Pelican Women’s Championship in November of 2020.

With the season’s first Major – the Chevron Championship (formerly the ANA Inspiration) – taking place this week, Meadow’s return to competitive ways couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I’m just excited heading into it [the Chevron] , my game is heading in the right direction.”

Meadow had earned her place in the field for the Chevron thanks to a top-20 finish in the Major at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, last year. And she attributed her improved form to a simple tip – which had the immediate impact of lifting her from 108th to 56th on the CME Globe LPGA Tour order of merit – to commit to her putts.

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What was it?

“I started putting with a line on my ball, so that’s a pretty big thing for me. It’s allowed me to commit to my lines a lot better,” said Meadow, who is also joined in the field at Rancho Mirage by Leona Maguire.

For Meadow, there is a familiarity about playing at Rancho Mirage. In five previous appearances in the Major, she has achieved two top-20 finishes.

“I’ve played the course a million times it feels like, even in college; I know it pretty well. I’ll just keep doing the same things. It’s a Major week, but it’s still the same.”

In her previous two tournament outings this season, Meadow had finished tied-57th at the Gainbridge and missed the cut at the Drive On (where Maguire made her breakthrough win on the LPGA Tour). In her case, it was all about getting the putter to do its job.

“It’s nice to see some putts roll in. It’s been a very long time since I had a good putting week,” confessed Meadow.

Maguire – not a great fan of poa annua greens like those at Carlsbad, but who can at least expect smoother and slicker rolls at Rancho Mirage this week – will make a fourth appearance in what is now called the Chevron. The Co Cavan golfer has a best finish of tied-18th in 2020 at the venue.

Different route

While Meadow and Maguire get into Major mode this week, Rory McIlroy – who skipped the WGC-Dell Technologies Matchplay so that he could prep for the upcoming Masters – returns to action in the Valero Texas Open as a fine-tuner for his latest crack at achieving the career Grand Slam in Augusta next week.

McIlroy is one of two Irish players in the field in Texas, where he is joined by Graeme McDowell who would need a win in Houston to earn a very late invitation to the Masters.

Pádraig Harrington, for his part, is taking a different route to Augusta. The Dubliner’s tied-fourth place finish in the US PGA Championship earned him an invite to the Masters (for the first time since 2015) but, rather than play in the Texas open, he has opted to play on the Champions Tour this week, at the 54-hole no-cut Rapiscan Systems Classic at Grand Bear Golf Club in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Scottie Scheffler’s win in the Dell Matchplay moved him to number one in the men’s world rankings but he has opted to miss his state championship in Texas with the bigger eye on a breakthrough Major win at the Masters occupying his mind.

Of that quest for a first Major, Scheffler said: “I don’t place too many expectations on myself. I just like being out [on tour] and competing. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to do that, and I look forward to doing it as long as you can.”

Meanwhile, Olivia Mehaffey got up-and-running in successfully making the cut on her first appearance on the Ladies European Tour in the Jo’Burg Open (tied-66th) to at least get going on the Race to Mallorca order of merit.

Mehaffey remains in South Africa for this week’s Investec South African Women’s Open at Steenberg Golf Club in Cape Town.