Leona Maguire

Leona Maguire (born 30 November 1994) is an Irish professional golfer.

She held the record for the most weeks at the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and in 2022 became the first — and, to date, only — Irish woman to win on the LPGA Tour.

With a score of 61 in the final round of the 2021 Evian Championship, Maguire holds the record for the lowest-ever score in the final round of any major championship (men or women) and the joint lowest round in any round of a major.

During the 2021 Solheim Cup, she broke the all-time rookie points record in either the Solheim Cup or the Ryder Cup with a total of 4.5.

Maguire is a native of County Cavan.

At the age of 9, she gave up a promising swimming career to concentrate on golf.

On 10 September 2005, she won the 10th HSBC British Wee Wonders Championship by 11 shots at the Balgove Course, St Andrews, Scotland, with a finishing round of 61.

Two months later she finished runner-up to her sister Lisa in the Young Masters Golf Junior Series at La Manga in Spain.

On 21 May 2008, she won the Lancome Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship at Westport, County Mayo.

In the same year she won the Irish Women's Amateur Golfer of The Year award, the youngest ever winner aged just 14.

Maguire won the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship in January 2011 by 15 strokes.

Later that same year, Maguire won the Irish Women's Open Stroke Play Championship.

In the same year she won the Irish Women's Amateur Golfer of The Year award for the second time.

Maguire became the first Irish golfer to win the Irish Girls Open Strokeplay championship, held at Roganstown Golf Club in April.

She beat an international field by eight shots.

She was part of the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team which defeated the US at Nairn, Scotland by 10.5 points to 9.5 points in June, shortly afterwards winning the Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship at the County Louth Golf Club, for the second time in her career.

Maguire left secondary school at Loreto College, Cavan, in Ireland with top scholastic honours and joined Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, U.S. At Duke one of her classmates was the American professional basketball player, Grayson Allen.

Maguire commenced the year in spectacular form in NCAA college golf, shooting up to first place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking on 13 May.

In the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate held at Hilton Head, South Carolina, on 8 March, she came first with rounds of 73, 65, and 69.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship held at Greensboro, North Carolina on 19 April, she won with rounds of 68, 68, and 70.

In the NCAA South Regional held at the Warren Golf course, South Bend, Indiana on 9 May, she won again with rounds of 72, 68, and 72, helping Duke win the NCAA South Bend Regional title.

On 6 May, she was voted the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year.

She was also the recipient of the 2014–15 Golfstat Cup presented to the player who has the best scoring average.

Maguire's stroke average of 70.78 was the best in the history of Duke University women's golf.

She tied the Duke record of 24 par rounds or better in a season and the university's record for most wins in a season with three.

At the British Ladies Amateur held at Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland on 11–13 June, Maguire won the stroke play part of the competition, finishing 6 strokes ahead of the field with rounds of 67 and 68.

She also helped Ireland to win the international team event.

Maguire was a selection for the 2015 ACC All-Star team.

She also won ACC Golfer of the Month awards for both March and April.

On 25 May, she won the 2015 Annika Award for the best golfer of the year in American college women's golf.

On 20 May, she was chosen as a member of the South Bend Region All-Star team.

On 26 May, Maguire was honoured both as the Women's Golf Coaches' Association (WGCA) Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year for 2015 and was included in the 2015 WGCA All-American team.

On 25 June, Maguire was named on the 2015 All-ACC Academic Team which recognises academic as well as athletic excellence.

The same month, she won the Golfweek National Player of the Year award and was selected to Golfweek's All-America First Team.

On 6 July Maguire was named on the WGCA 2015 All-American Scholar Team.

On 27 July, Maguire represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Vagliano Trophy against Europe, held at Malone Golf Club, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Europe won with 12.5 points to 11.5.

Maguire was undefeated, contributing 3.5 points of the GB & Ireland total.

Maguire was invited as a guest amateur to play in the European Ladies Tour's ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters held at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, Denham, England on 2–5 July.

She is 15 minutes younger than her twin sister, Lisa Maguire, who was also a professional golfer and retired in 2019.