“Uncharted territory” - Leona Maguire on leading the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2023
Leona Maguire came into KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2023 on the back of her Meijer LPGA Classic win last week. The Irish golfer clinched her second-ever win on the LPGA Tour and bagged the winner’s share of $375,000. The 28-year-old carried the form over and took the lead at the second women's Major of the year.
Maguire sat atop the KPMG Women's PGA Championship leaderboard after 36 holes. Following Friday’s play, the golfer came out to admit that she was in “uncharted territory” as she’d never held a lead at a major championship before. The Irishwoman seemed confident in her game and said that she’s ‘learning a lot’ from the outing.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Leona Maguire said, as quoted by Golf Monthly:
“This is uncharted territory… Whatever happens this week, I'm sure I'll learn a lot, and just sort of taking it one day at a time.”
She added:
“I think this golf course demands that. I think you can't think more than one shot ahead, let alone a hole or a round ahead. Just really taking it shot by shot and trying to hit as good a shot as I can."
Your solo leader, @leona_maguire 👏
Fresh off of a Tour win last week, Maguire is in the clubhouse at 5-under at the @KPMGWomensPGA https://t.co/ubYrfCXUQt
It is pertinent to note that Leona Maguire’s best finish at a major championship came in the 2022 AIG Women's Open, where she finished tied for fourth.
Leona Maguire comfortably leads the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2023
Leona Maguire looked in form during round 2 of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2023. The golfer backed her first-round 69 with a three-under 68. The golfer beat the likes of Mel Reid, Celine Borge and Xiyu Lin to take the solo lead by one shot.
Maguire said:
"(I'm) really happy with how I played today. Weather was a little bit trickier today, especially sort of on the back nine when that sort of rain came in. I think we were just glad we got finished. I think we've been pretty blessed with the weather the last two days. Similar to yesterday, played really well. Gave myself a lot of chances. Didn't really hole any putts on the front side. But nice to get those three birdies coming in."
The Meijer LPGA Classic winner went on to state that she feels ‘comfortable’ with her game.
She further added:
"I feel like my game has sort of taken over from last week. I'm very comfortable with how I'm hitting it, picking my targets and committing to those. I think the big thing today was staying really patient given that we were in a two, jam-packed in a field that wasn't really moving. Did a good job at sort of staying -- concentrating and sort of warm when I needed to. It kind of kept the momentum going."
Heading into the business end of the event, it’ll be interesting to see if Maguire holds on to the position and take the big win.