Leona Maguire changes clubs and finds form ahead of Women's Irish Open
Maguire, who reached a career high of 10 in the world rankings in 2023, has plummeted to 84th place in the standings.
This season, the 30-year-old, endured four consecutive missed cuts before recording a highly encouraging top-20 finish at last month's KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Texas.
A final round of 76 was a little underwhelming, but finishing on six over was still good enough for a share of 19th place and marked her best performance at a major in two years.
Last week, Maguire and Jennifer Kupcho finished in a tie for 18th at the Dow Championship, with the duo having led at halfway.
In conversation with RTÉ Sport, Maguire revealed that the shift in her fortunes could be attributed to a couple of key equipment changes.
"The last two weeks have been really good golf. I've been in contention heading into the weekend and it's really nice to be in that position again," she said.
"The hard work behind the scenes is paying off and starting to show dividends in the numbers I've been shooting.
"I made some tweaks with my driver, my putting has turned a corner as well, and I've been driving the ball nicely.
"I went back to an old driver and a new putter in the bag from KPMG a couple of weeks ago.
"I holed some nice putts last week and Jen joked about that in the team format, that it was nice to be on the right side of my putter for a change!
"I've some good confidence from last week, I think I had seven birdies and an eagle on Friday in the fourball format.
"The birdies are there, the signs are there, it's just a case of putting all the pieces together."
Winds could reach highs of 30km/h at the Kildare venue, which could enhance Maguire's chances further.
"I feel like my game is in good enough shape to post a good number out there," she said.
"I think it's going to be windy, especially Friday and Sunday, and I suppose the wind is something that I'm quite comfortable in.
"I think scoring might be a little bit different this year. It's a little bit more receptive. There are a couple of tees that are pushed a little bit further back.
"But I'll do everything I can to try and get myself into contention come Sunday and once you're in contention on Sunday, anything can happen."
After a nine-year absence, the tournament returned to the calendar in 2022. Maguire has led the Irish challenge in each of the last three seasons, finishing in ties for fourth, 14th and 15th.
As the leading home hope of success, the Cavan woman will again have to shoulder plenty of expectation, but if it's a burden, it's one that weighs lightly on her, for the most part.
"It's a bit of a balancing act, I think," she said.
"It's a nice responsibility to have, that there are so many people wanting to come out to see me and wanting to see me to do well.
"At the same team, I have to get my preparation in and play as well as I possibly can, but also it's important to give back to everybody that does come out and supports me.
"Not just this week, I get messages on social media and letters throughout the year, and they don't normally get the opportunity to see me play in person.
"It'll be nice to have that energy of the crowd, especially on the back nine, hopefully at the weekend.
"Hopefully the crowds are just as big this year, if not bigger."
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Irish Examiner
36 minutes ago
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