Ireland’s Leona Maguire fired a bogey-free eight-under-par 62 to set a course record and seize the lead after Thursday’s first round of the LPGA Pelican Championship.
The 26-year-old European Solheim Cup standout, seeking her first LPGA title, grabbed a two-stroke lead over fourth-ranked South Korean playing partner Kim Sei-young after 18 holes at Pelican Club in Belleair, Florida.
“It was pretty stress-free. I played the par-threes really well and birdied all of them, which really helped,” Maguire said. “It was just really solid. I hit a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of chances, and rolled some nice putts.”
Sharing third on 65 were Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Americans Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Christina Kim, Danielle Kang, Jennifer Kupcho and Lauren Coughlin.
Maguire, a former world amateur No 1, fired the best final-round score in any major tournament, men’s or women’s, with a 61 in July at the Evian Championship.
In September, she set a rookie record with 4.5 points to help Europe win the Solheim Cup over the United States.
On Thursday, Maguire opened with a birdie and added another at the par-three third hole, then closed the front nine with birdies at the par-five seventh and par-three ninth.
She followed with birdies at the par-three 12th, par-five 14th and par-three 15th and added another at the par-four 18th.
World No 46 Maguire, twice an LPGA runner-up this season, had coach Shane O’Grady with her at an event for the first time in two years, the hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It has been nice having him here. It’s all just clicking nicely,” Maguire said. “He was with me last week for a few days getting ready for this. He has seen snippets of me obviously on TV here and there. It has been a challenge, but we’ve done the best we can.”
Her Solheim showing brought a lift that has carried over into this week.
“That’s a confidence booster when you have the validation of your peers,” she said. “Being able to hit those shots when I needed it. I felt like I holed putts when I really needed to at Solheim.”
Maguire was celebrated with a parade in her one-stoplight town of 5,000 when she got back home to Ireland.
“It was incredible. Nothing like I was expecting,” she said. “I went through my hometown in a convertible gold BMW with a LEONA license plate.
“It was basically like St Patrick’s Day in Ireland. I guess it timed nicely with the Covid restrictions lifting.
“The best part was seeing people happy and excited again. I brought a smile and joy to so many people. The response at home was phenomenal.”
We've got a stacked leaderboard at the @pelicanlpga 🔥
Check out the first round highlights 👇 pic.twitter.com/N8heEXqrA7
— LPGA (@LPGA) November 12, 2021
© Agence France-Presse
