Maguire rediscovers putting touch to contend in California

Leona Maguire returned to some old putting habits and made seven birdies in a six-under 65 to surge right into contention for the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship in California.

The Co Cavan star says she’s been using the early season events to bed in some changes with a view to peaking for a massive summer when she will have the Olympics, the majors and another Solheim Cup in her sights

Her 65 was her lowest round on the LPGA this year and left her in a three-way tie for fourth, and after needing just 25 putts, she’s only two shots behind American rookie Malia Nam at Palos Verdes.

“I was a little bit all over the place yesterday,” she said. “Drove it well but missed a lot of greens. So yesterday was a really good day. Sort of hanging in and scrambling and a lot of good up-and-downs to keep me in it.

“And then today, I gave myself a lot of chances. Putter was working nice, which was good.”

The world number 27 birdied the short 11th and followed a bogey at the 13th with three birdies in a row from the 16th to turn in 32 before picking up further shots at the fourth, seventh and eighth.

As for her game, she’s just trying to peak for the summer and hopes the changes she’s made over the winter will bed in soon.

“I made a few changes over the off-season,” she said. “Been working on a few things. Some weeks, they're there, some weeks, they're not. Drove the ball really nicely the first two days, which has been good to see.

“Then, yeah, putted really nice as well. I found a couple of things that I had been doing a few years ago, and I’ve gone back to them, which is nice to see that paying off in these first two rounds as well.

“Just need to get my irons dialled in a little bit more and hopefully we can have a good weekend.”

Looking ahead, she added: “I mean, it's going to be a really big summer, so I think everybody is gearing up towards a big summer. 

“It's sort of the off-season being so short, some of those first few events were a little bit of a trial run for that.

“So working through those changes whilst still playing tournaments rather than having an extended time off, making sure everything is in a really good place come the summer for all the majors, for the Olympics, for Solheim. Really big summer ahead.”

She admits getting her schedule right is “key”.biggest headache.

“It's probably something that is very underrated. It's hard to get right,” she said.

“You're playing well, you just want to play everything and keep going. If you're struggling a bit you want to take some time off and work on things. 

“You can practice all you want, but I feel like once your scorecard is in your hand, it's the real test of whether what you've been working on is working or not.”

Maguire is chasing world number 961 Nam, who is playing just her second event on the LPGA Tour.

The American (24) shot 69 to lead by one stroke from defending champion Ruoning Yin of China and Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom, on eight-under.

“I mean, it's a really packed leaderboard,” Maguire said of what it might take to win. “Doesn't take much around this golf course to go a shot either way.

“So I know it's a cliche, but a lot of patience and I mean, still trying to make birdies. 

“I feel like it's a golf course you can get very defensive on. But you really have to not attack it, but you do have to take your chances where you get them.

“So just try and give myself as many chances as I can over the weekend and hopefully the putter keeps behaving itself.”