Last week, Ireland's Leona Maguire competed in the final pairing during the final round of the Meijer LPGA Classic. Maguire, 26, battled it out against No. 3 ranked player in the world, Nelly Korda, until her final putt.
Even after Maguire finished in second place just two shots behind winner Korda's overall 25-under par, the second-year rookie (as a result of the pandemic, 2020 rookies got an extended rookie season in 2021) put up six birdies and no bogeys on Sunday. And for the first time in her professional career, Maguire said, "I'm really starting to feel like I belong out there."
The former Duke star and 2016 Olympian is no stranger to leaderboard domination. This season, she has four top-10 finishes. Maguire, who won ACC Player of the Year three times during her time at Duke, owns the all-time record for weeks (135) at No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. But since the start of her 2020 season, the KPMG brand ambassador still searches for her first win on tour. And after last week, she feels closer than ever.
Maguire talked to ESPN about her recent success on tour, the importance of being a role model for the next generation of golfers and her goals this week at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club, which began on Thursday.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ESPN: What was it like to compete against Nelly Korda in the final group on Sunday at the Meijer LPGA Classic?
Leona Maguire: It was exciting. It was the first time I'd been in the last group going into the last day of an LPGA event. It was a really nice atmosphere, great buzz about the course last week and it was nice to hit good shots and have people cheering you on.
Nelly, she's one of the best players in the world. I knew it was going to be a tough battle. I suppose going in with a three-shot lead, I knew she had quite a head start on me, so I just wanted to put as much pressure on her as I possibly could and make things interesting down the stretch.
ESPN: In your post-round interview, you said that you're feeling more comfortable on the course. How does that comfort help during a major week?
Maguire: I think the more comfortable you get, you take on maybe more shots. And you don't know how you're going to handle those situations, like being a couple of shots behind going into that last group, until you're there. They're the moments you practice for. You hope you're not going to be put in that position, but at the same time, you don't know how you're going to handle it until you're there.
That inner belief and trust in yourself, that's important when playing against the best players week-in, week-out, and it just gives you that sense that you can play your own game and know it's good enough.
ESPN: Your name has been floating around social media as you continue to dominate on the course. How does it feel when you see all of the social media posts about you climbing the leaderboards at these tournaments?
Maguire: It's a big jump going from the amateur rounds to the professional rounds; dealing with the extra media is probably a part of that as well. A lot more TV, a lot more social media, all of that sort of thing.
I've gained quite a few followers over the last few weeks. And it's nice, a lot of messages of support even people from back home that can't be here watching events or can't see it on TV. They've been sending me messages, wishing me luck and all of that. I'm really feeling the love and support from home. And from people all over the U.S. as well, which is special to have.
ESPN: As you step into the spotlight more as a professional, I imagine that many young girls and boys are looking up to you. What does it mean to you be a role model for the next generation of golfers?
Maguire: It's really cool. It's an honor to have kids looking up to you. I know there's been a few back home, especially, that have done school projects on me. They'll send me pictures or videos of the posters or a little project they've done. And that's really cool. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was one of those kids going to events, like the Solheim Cup, to watch Suzann Pettersen and Annika Sorenstam and looking up to them.
It's a little bit crazy to be in my shoes right now with people coming up asking for pictures and autographs. I actually met a little girl last Sunday at Meijer LPGA Classic that was also named Leona. It's a privileged position we're in as professional athletes. You try and inspire people as much as you can. Still, ultimately it is about being yourself and conveying what I do and what I do best and working hard at helping them in whatever way I can, whether that's if they want to be golfers, or if it's in school, or if you're going to be a doctor or a lawyer or whatever.
ESPN: It's technically still your rookie year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. What has this last year on tour been like for you as a rookie?
Maguire: My first rookie year wasn't anything like what we were expecting. There was supposed to be a lot of new countries, a lot of new events, and all of that. The schedule got changed quite a few times, but it was nice to have that second half of the year to find my footing a little bit, travel, get to see some of the golf courses, figure out how the LPGA works and how many events I want to play in a row, that sort of thing.
I didn't play my best golf last year. I switched around my clubs a few times. I took stock of everything, worked a lot with my coach in the off-season, changed my irons, got a little bit stronger, put on some extra edge with the driver. I wanted to start this year strong, and I did that. Got off to a nice start and kept building on that momentum every week.
ESPN: How would you describe your game right now?
Maguire: I've done a lot of hard work. I didn't qualify for the U.S. Women's Open, and I'm a little disappointed about that. I spent the weekend working really hard on my game. I'm fine-tuning things, and came out to San Francisco for the MEDIHEAL Championship and played some great golf there. I struggled a little bit with my irons in the middle couple of days, but then worked it out. I then played some really great golf last week.
I feel like my game's in good shape. Obviously, a major is the greatest test of that.
ESPN: This week, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship returns to the Atlanta Athletic Club. Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Women's Open was played for the first time at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. How does it feel to play some of the best courses in the world?
Maguire: It's huge. That's one of the incredible things that KPMG has been doing is getting the championship on these big venues. We've all grown up watching the guys on TV playing U.S. Opens and PGA Championships at top-notch courses.
It's incredible to be on these golf courses like them. And for me, it's incredible not only to get more successful when competing against the best players in the world but also to play the best golf courses in the world as well.
ESPN: KPMG continues to elevate the women's game, and one of the ways that they are doing that is through their relationship with players like you. What is it like to be a KPMG brand ambassador?
Maguire: I've been incredibly lucky. I'm very lucky that they have backed me. I turned pro after I graduated from college in June 2018, and they were my first sponsor. They believed in me right out of the gates. They believed I could do good things in the LPGA even before I got to the LPGA.
That's something that I'm very grateful for and it's nice to have that. Golf is expensive, traveling every week is expensive, so it's nice to have the backing of a great company like KPMG. They've been really helpful and welcoming. I feel like I'm a part of a team and family with them.
ESPN: You're in really great company with other KPMG brand ambassadors like Phil Mickelson, Stacy Lewis and Mariah Stackhouse. How does it feel to be in that company? What's your relationship like with them?
Maguire: I played college golf with Mariah while she was at Stanford and I was at Duke, so I know Mariah pretty well. Stacy's been a huge inspiration to me and a lot of players out here. She's a former world number one player and has amazing titles under her belt.
I've looked up to Stacy for a long time. I feel like our games can be pretty similar so she's someone that I've modeled my game on a little bit. I was fortunate to play with her the first few days last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic. I tried to pick her brain a bit and she's been really good with her time and giving me advice. She's done some incredible things in the LPGA so hopefully I can follow her footsteps and make KPMG proud.
