Leona Maguire feels her game has turned a corner after an often frustrating season as she lands in Carton House for this week's KPMG Women's Irish Open.
Maguire, already a two-time LPGA Tour winner, arrives at the Kildare venue having secured her first victory on the Ladies European Tour at the Aramco Team Series event in London last month.
That was a historic first ever win for an Irish golfer on the LET but came in the midst of an otherwise uneven year for Maguire, who missed three cuts in the majors and struggled badly at the Paris Olympics after a bout of sickness that week.
Maguire did survive to the weekend at the fifth and final major of the year last week, the AIG Women's Open, battling to a tied-37th finish in treacherous weather conditions at the Old Course in St Andrews.
With the Solheim Cup - Maguire's playground in recent years - looming into view, the Cavan woman reckons her game is coming together following a patchy season.
"It's been a bit of an up-and-down year," she told RTÉ Sport's Dave Kelly.
"There's been a lot of stuff going on. I feel like my game is starting to turn a corner lately.
"Played really solid stuff in St Andrews last week. It was a very tough test.
"So, I'm looking forward to this week. Looking forward to the Solheim Cup in a couple of weeks time and there's still plenty of golf to be played for the rest of the year."
This week sees the third edition of the Women's Irish Open since its return to the European Tour schedule after a 10-year absence.
The tournament initially had an unbroken run on the Tour between 1994 and 2003, the legendary Laura Davies winning the first couple of instalments at the St Margaret's course in north Dublin, then returning for another five-year period between 2008 and 2012, during which Suzann Pettersen picked up a brace of titles. But it has really shot into a different phase since its resurrection two years ago.
"It's fantastic to see," says Maguire. "I think 13 Irish players are in the field this week. All the infrastructure around it, it has a really big feel to it.
"All the hospitality, grandstands. It's definitely one of the biggest events on the LET (Ladies European Tour) calendar. Hopefully the crowds will come out and support this week."
Maguire was a teenage amateur during the 2008-12 era, operating in the shadows of others. Since its revival in 2022, she has been very much the headline attraction.
It was two years ago at Dromoland Castle when Maguire mounted her strongest challenge yet at an Irish Open, finishing tied-fourth and with a birdie on the 72nd when an eagle was required to break into a four-way playoff.
Performing in front of expectant home crowds has often proven psychologically awkward for tour pros - there have only been five Irish winners of the men's Irish Open since its return to the European Tour roster in 1975 and there's yet to be a home-based Open Championship winner in the 21st century.
How does Maguire find operating under the spotlight?
"It's been a big learning experience for me, it's been something I've had to adjust to. But golf has given me so much. I was fortunate enough to play in this event as an amateur and it's come full circle.
"I've always got fantastic support from Irish crowds. You don't get to play with that level of support too often. The crowds were phenomenal in Paris, the amount of Irish people that went over.
"It's always nice to see people out there with their tricolours and their jerseys, cheering you on."
Leona Maguire looks forward to this week's KPMG Women's Irish Open at the O’Meara Course at Carton House. #KPMGWIO pic.twitter.com/h3LIOThcLw
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 27, 2024
In total there are no fewer than 13 Irish players in the field this week: three regular tour pros in the shape of Maguire, Lauren Walsh and Olivia Mehaffey, two players making their professional debuts - Anabel Wilson and Anna Foster - and then a whopping eight amateurs - Róisín Scanlon, Kate Lanigan, Emma Fleming, Kate Dillon, Olivia Costello, Aideen Walsh, Canice Screen and Anna Abom.
After two years in Clare, the tournament heads back east, with Carton House in Maynooth hosting for the first time.
The O'Meara Course takes centre-stage this week, its twin course, the Montgomerie course, having hosted the men's Irish Open on three occasions in 2005, 2006 and 2013.
With weather conditions forecast to be more benign than in Scotland in the last fortnight, Maguire is expecting a different kind of challenge.
"The course is in really good shape out there. It's a very different test out there to the last couple of weeks in Scotland, where the wind and rain was coming sideways at us.
"The ball is stopping a lot quicker. My 9-wood can go back in the bag this week. Very different test but looking forward to it."
Watch the Women's Irish Open on Saturday and Sunday from 2pm on the RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Live coverage also available on Thursday and Friday from 4pm on the RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player
