Maguire Heads To Deciding Solheim Singles Undeated As Golf’s Great Sings Her Praise

4 years ago by Comments Off on Maguire Heads To Deciding Solheim Singles Undeated As Golf’s Great Sings Her Praise

Leona Maguire heads into the deciding Solheim Cup singles with the greats of the game singing her praise and stamping her future European team credentials as she seeks to finish undefeated in Ohio.

Maguire, 26, has belied her rookie status to dominate the opening three of the five sessions with three wins from as many matches and then join Mel Reid in securing a vital last match half-a-point in the Sunday afternoon fourballs.

It means the Slieve Russell pro is undefeated as Maguire tees-up in the deciding singles on the Inverness course in Toledo.

Maguire has played so well that legendary Dottie Pepper, who played in six Solheim Cups in succession from 1990 to 2000, cannot stop talking about the Irish golfer

“I can’t tell how good this girl is”, said Pepper commentating on SKY Golf.  “It’s been quite a sensation this week for the rookie.  It is clear rookie Maguire didn’t read the script”.

Europe heads into day four leading by two points 9 – 7 and only needing another five-and-a-half points to become only the second European Team since 2013 to win the Solheim Cup on US soil.

And if they do win by just a half-a-point you could look back to the final match on day two when Reid brilliantly landed her second shot to around four-feet at the 18th hole to tie their match against the Ameicans Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas.

“We tried to ride the wave from this morning as we played some great golf this morning, and to get the win as big as we did this morning was huge”, said Maguire after her putt on the last slide by the hole.

“We just tried to stay really patient. We knew it was going to be a very different match this afternoon. We knew the girls were going to be relentless, that we just had to hang in there.

“We were down for most of the day, which is a position we hadn’t been in the last couple days. Tried to be patient, we knew it would turn for us, and yeah, just waited for Mel to hit that clutch shot at the end”.

Looking back to the start of the second day and after two wins on day one, Maguire teamed with Reid, and for a second time, to hand USA rivals, including World No. 1 Nelly Korda, their only defeat with a 5 & 4 drubbing in the Sunday morning foursomes.

The teaming of Maguire and Reid, and nearly seven-years her senior, were out again in the Sunday afternoon fourballs and after being behind for 12 holes against Kupcho and Salas the Europeans clawed their way back to finally draw level with a birdie at 13 though the USA went back to 1up at 17 and then for Reid to get the half a hole later.

It’s an understatement Monday’s closing Singles now looks headed for a nail-biting affair and could all come down to Saturday’s controversy when a rules official handed Nelly Korda a win at the 13th hole and after Europe’s Madelene Sagstrom was left in tears when she broke the rules, and by just three seconds, in picking-up Korda’s ball when she should have waited 10-seconds to see if the American’s ball may have dropped for an eagle.

The Americans went into the Sunday afternoon fourballs trailing 5 ½ to 6 ½ having won the morning foursome three games to one.

And the home side took the momentum into the afternoon they were urged on by an increasingly noisy Stars and Stripes support.

“We need to get out and get ahead early and try and quieten down the crowd because if the U.S. get on top early, the noise is only going to get louder and louder,” said European vice-captain Dame Laura Davies.

The calls of ‘U S A’, ‘U S A’ got louder and the sight of blue on the leaderboard became that little fainter so much so that by the time all four matches headed to the back nine the States were now up in three.

And as they poured out of the corporate enclosures, we also sadly began hearing those beer-fuelled calls of ‘mashed potatoes’ and ‘yabba, dadda do’.

But Europe were not about to lay down and roll-over even if Megan Khang gave the USA a 1-up lead at the turn in the first match partnering Jessica Korda when her birdie chip shot hit the flagstick, momentarily stopped but then fell into the cup.

In the Sunday morning foursomes, Maguire made it three wins from as many starts teaming with Mel Reid for a second time in three matches and in the process with the European duo humbling World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing.

Maguire holed the 5 & 4 par winning putt on the 14th hole and produced a right-hand fist pump that would make Tiger Woods proud.

It was the second time Maguire had handed Korda defeat and with last month’s Tokyo Olympic’s Gold medal asking to be rested from the afternoon matches.

What’s been remarkable is that Maguire and Reid had hardly spoken to each other prior to this week and when Reid embraced her Irish team-mate, the English woman seemingly did not want to let go of Maguire who was looking to retrieve her ball from the cup and shake hands with their rivals.

“I’m pretty sure when we get back to regular competition she’s going to put her name down for practice rounds with me most weeks now”, said Reid.

“No, I said by the end of the week I just want Leona to like me a little bit, and she said she’s starting to like me a little bit more the more we win.

“I mean, she’s a fantastic player. My role was to kind of make her feel comfortable as someone who’s been on a few Solheim Cups, and just very, very impressed with her honestly.

“That grit and determination is second to none, and yeah, I mean, it’s been an honour honestly playing with her the last few days”.

Maguire, in her quiet-mannered way, said: “We played great all day and it was great to finish it off in style and not have to go down another one. Mel holed a lot of clutch putts today, so it was my turn to finish it off in style”.



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