By: Max Bechtoldt
When people think of Irish Women’s Golf, obviously Leona Maguire comes to mind, but Ireland will be one of the teams in Paris with a solid 1-2 punch.
Maguire, who is currently ranked No. 22 in the Olympic Standings, will of course be a formidable player in Paris. This will be her third Olympic appearance despite just being in her fourth full year on the LPGA Tour. Maguire has two LPGA Tour wins in her career, three major top 10s and is the best modern European Solheim Cup player with a 7-2-1 career record.
Maguire is a star in the United States, but she is an instant icon in her home country. This is partially because of her incredible amateur career, as she broke Lydia Ko’s record for most weeks as the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world. She was also the first player to win the Annika Award while playing for Duke. The Annika Award is essentially the Heisman Trophy of women’s golf.
Maguire was the low amateur in the Rio Olympics finishing T21 and finished T23 in Tokyo.
Joining Maguire will be Stephanie Meadow from Northern Ireland. Meadow actually beat Maguire in Tokyo, finishing in seventh, just four strokes back from the silver medal playoff.
Meadow finished in eighth last week at the Blue Bay LPGA, good momentum continuing from 2023, where she had one of her stronger seasons. Her biggest moment came at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where she nearly won and finished in a tie for third.
Meadow is currently safely in the Olympic field at No. 35 in the rankings. Watch out for one player from team Ireland to make the medal podium.
