Ireland’s Leona Maguire is teeing-up later today in a 38th major championship still looking for a maiden success at the highest level.
The 31-year-old is contesting the 81st hosting of the US Women’s Open on the famed Riviera Golf Club near Santa Monica hoping for that breakthrough.
Maguire made her majors debut at the 2012 British Women’s Open but missing the halfway cut.
She’s contested seven prior US Women’s Opens and a best effort of T8th 2021 at the Olympic Golf Club in San Francisco and with a best result overall in the women’s game being four years ago thanks to a T4th in the 2022 British Women’s Open at Muirfield.
McGUIRE ON MAGUIRE …..
As Leonia Maguire @KPMG seeks to capture a maiden @LPGA major title in her 38th appearance teeing up in this week’s @uswomensopen at the famed Riviera ⛳️
“I changed a few things in the off-season, so it took a little bit of time to get those… pic.twitter.com/wAijaRioQp
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) June 4, 2026
“I think a US Open suits players who like a bit more strategy and course management,” said Maguire.
“They make you think a little bit more, and you have to have a good short game as well. Those are two things that I quite enjoy.”
After a mixed start to 2026 that included three consecutive missed cuts in April and May, Maguire has found form in the nick of time.
A runner-up finish at Shadow Creek in April provided early validation of the changes she’s been making with American coach Sean Foley over the past six months.
She grabbed a share of ninth last week at the ShopRite LPGA in New Jersey and while this is a very different test, it was a welcome result.
“It’s nice to see my game trending in the right direction,” Maguire said.
“I changed a few things in the off-season, so it took a little bit of time to get those technique-wise bedded in.”
Her US Open record is modest—five missed cuts and just one top 10 in seven appearances—but women’s Major golf has rarely been more unpredictable.
Only three of the last 17 women’s Major championships have been won by players ranked in the world’s top 10 at the time and Maguire, currently ranked 72nd, fits the mould.
- Last handful of paragraphs thanks to Irish Examiner.
