Springfield: Leona Maguire is a round away from winning for the second straight week and becoming the first woman from Ireland to win a major.
All that stands in the way of the 28-year-old from Cavan is a close friend from Northern Ireland Stephanie Meadow and
30-year-old Jenny Shin, who no longer is just happy to be playing on the LPGA Tour. She wants to win again, badly.
Maguire birdied the final hole for her eighth straight round in the 60s to take a one-shot lead over fast-closing Shin and a two-stroke edge over Meadow on Saturday, heading into the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Maguire is at the top of her game. She won in Michigan last week for her second LPGA Tour victory, and her play has
carried over at historic Baltusol, the site of 12 majors.
She has hit 38 of 42 fairways and 48 of
54 greens in the first 54 holes, and her 2-under 69 Saturday gave her a 7-under total on a course that was tough, but gettable, after two days of intermittent rain softened the greens.
“I don’t think it’s any different,” the 28-year-old Maguire said after retaining a one-shot lead.
“I think it’s one more round of golf. I have to hit one shot at a time tomorrow and play some really good golf.
It doesn’t matter that it’s a major. It’s really no different than any other day, and I’m not going to treat it any different.”
Shin matched the best round of the tournament with a bogey-free 66 that featured five birdies.
The South Korean has lived in the United States since she was nine. She admitted she started playing golf because her parents wanted it.
“I didn’t roll into this game wanting to be No. 1 in the world,” she said.
“I was just happy being out here. Oh, I’m an LPGA Tour player. I’m one of the best world players in the world.’”
Playing was more a goal than winning, even though she won on tour in 2016.
Her attitude has changed in recent years.