Solheim Cup wildcard for Leona Maguire

Solheim Cup skipper Anna Nordqvist named Leona Maguire as the first of her four wildcards for September’s clash with the USA in the Netherlands

The Co Cavan star failed to qualify automatically but her outstanding record in three previous matches secured her spot on the team at Barnardus Golf from September 11-13.

“Really excited,” said Maguire, who was named alongside rookies Julia Lopez Ramirez, Nastasia Naduad and Mimi Rhodes as a pick.

“I think it's a very strong European team, and the Solheim Cup is just a fantastic event and such a fun week.

“I’ve been fortunate to be in a part of three of them already and hopefully, this one is just as much fun as all of the rest of them. Excited to get to the Netherlands with all the rest of the team, and hopefully have a great week.”

Maguire failed to qualify automatically for the first time since earning a wildcard as a rookie in 2021, when she won 4.5 points out of five.

“I mean obviously you're trying to play as well as you possibly can, and try and work your way up the rankings,” she said. “And my goal was definitely to qualify for the team automatically, and not have to rely on the captain's pick.

“But I feel like I've I've played some good golf lately. I played some really nice golf at the Scottish Open a couple weeks ago, and played some pretty decent golf. At Lytham last week I just ran into some bunker trouble on the 13th, and that kept me out of the weekend.

“But we've still got a few more weeks left. Definitely some fine tuning, and yeah, hopefully the game will be nice and sharp and ready to go in a few weeks' time when it needs to for the rest of the team.”

Skipper Nordqvist had no doubts about the Ballyconnell woman (31) having partnered her in Spain in 2023 and seen how the team nicknamed her MVP after she won 4.5 points from five matches on her debut.

“I’d rather play alongside her than against her,” she said. “She's just such a fierce competitor, and she'll do anything for you on the team.

“I had the honour of playing with her in Spain, just being part of the team and the tradition she has, all her match play records as an amateur too.

“I mean that definitely helps, and I'm excited to see what she can do.”