Rollercoaster for Rory as Leona hangs tough; Dunne and Coulter shine

Leona Maguire of Ireland hits from the 16th tee during the second round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club on February 04, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

RORY MCILROY and Leona Maguire endured rollercoaster days, but the Co Cavan star kept her title hopes very much alive in the US.

McIlroy struggled with his irons in the Valero Texas Open, hitting just nine greens in regulation as he made six birdies and six bogeys in disconcerting, level par 72 at TPC San Antonio in his final warm-up for the Masters.

He was outside the projected cut line in tied 72nd, seven shots behind Scotland's Russell Knox as Graeme McDowell struggled to a two-over 74. Scores

It was a more encouraging day for Maguire in the opening major of the season, the Chevron Championship at Mission Hills in Palm Springs, as she made three birdies and three bogeys in a level par 72 to share 48th, six strokes behind leaders Jennifer Kupcho and Australia's Minjee Lee.

The Co Cavan star birdied the 10th, bogeyed the 14th, then birdied the 18th and first to get to two-under before dropping shots at the third and fifth.

Kupcho and Lee shot six-under 66s to lead by two shots from defending champion Patty Tavatanakit as world number one Jin Young Ko struggled to a two-over 74.

Stephanie Meadow made two bogeys and a birdie in a one-over 73 to share 63rd.

On the Challenge Tour, Paul Dunne fired six birdies in a bogey-free 66 at Koro Creek Golf Club to lie just a shot off the lead in the Limpopo Championship.

“I was really pleased to keep bogeys off my card,” Dunne said. “This is obviously the more scoreable of the two courses so I knew I had to shoot a decent score today. 

“I played nicely at the start and made a few nice putts for birdie and then gave myself a few chances from pretty close range and missed them all and then made a 30 footer for birdie.

“It was one of those kinds of days I was making the birdies I probably shouldn’t have and missing the chances that I gave myself so I’d say it was a fair reflection because I was pretty steady, I didn’t get myself into a lot of trouble but I hit a lot of greens so it’s a good start but I’ve got a build on for tomorrow.”

Bracing himself for a tougher task on the Euphoria Course today, he said: “The other course is a different test. It’s longer and the fairway bunkers are more punishing.

Here it’s not so demanding so it’s a different test but if I keep playing like I did today it should be fine.  I just need to do a bit of work on my putting this afternoon and hopefully, I’ll be good tomorrow. 

“I would’ve preferred to have played last week as well but I had Covid so I was at home but yeah it’s been great in South Africa. 

“I did get a couple of weeks off the weeks for the DP World Tour events out here so I went back to Ireland. But there is one more event in Tanzania next week.”

Six players are tied for the lead -- Jonathan Thomson, Germany's Freddy Schott, Spain's Jordi Garcia, Ivan Cantero Gutierrez and Emilio Cuartero Blanco and home favourite Hennie du Plessis -- after carding 65s at Koro Creek.

Tom McKibbin is 30th after a 68 at the same venue where John Murphy shot 70 to share 71st as Richard O'Donovan posted a 79 at Euphoria.

The second round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur was delayed by seven and a half hours with Castlewarden's Lauren Walsh tied 26th on five-over, one-over for her round through 10 holes and just five shots behind Sweden’s Beatrice Wallin (16 holes), Americans Amari Avery (16 holes) and Hailey Borja (11 holes) who lead by one stroke on level par.

On the Ladies European Tour, Olivia Mehaffey shot a three-over 75 at Steenberg to share 43rd on five-over in the Investec South African Women's Open at halfway, 12 strokes behind Wales' Becky Brewerton.

In Spain, Beth Coulter's two-over 74 left her tied fourth, just two shots behind leaders Darcey Harry of Wales, the Czech Republic’s Denisa Vodickovaa and Germany’s Helen Briem in the European Nations Championship at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.

Kate Lanigan is tied 21st on five-over after a 77 with Aideen Walsh tied 26th on 21 over after an 81.

Ireland’s women’s team is ranked sixth in the Nations Cup on 22-over behind leaders Germany, who top the leaderboard by three shots from Wales on seven-over.

Robert Moran’s 78 left him tied 11th in the men’s event on seven-over, 13 shots behind Spain's Jaime Montojo Fernández, who shot a second successive 69 to lead by five shots from compatriot Lluis Masveu and Denmark’s Hamish Brown on six-under

Hugh Foley and Liam Nolan shot 78s to share 29th on 11-over with Peter O’Keeffe 14-over after another 79.

Spain leads the Nations Cup by 14 strokes from Denmark on 12-under with Ireland tied eighth of 18 nations on 29-over.

Meanwhile, Pádraig Harrington will play his final warm-up for the Masters in the PGA Tour Champions Tour’s Rapiscan Systems Classic at Grand Bear Golf Club in Biloxi, Mississippi.