MAGUIRE Leona

General
OLYMPIC GOLD OVER MAJOR WIN
She says she personally values winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games more than winning a major tournament. "I wouldn't say no to any tournament win. But yeah, the Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world. It only comes around every four years. Everybody knows what an Olympic gold medal is. They might not know the Evian or the ANA [two of the five major tournaments in women's golf] or something like that. It would be nice to have one of them." (home.kpmg, 08 Jan 2021)

CHANGING CLUBS
In 2021 she spoke about how developing her strength training and changing the clubs she uses has helped to add extra power and length to her game. "I've played really nice this side of the year [2021] and I put a lot of work in over the off-season. I changed to a new Ping driver, the new 425. Just swung it that a little bit faster and it's making a difference. I changed my irons, which have helped a huge amount, and given myself a lot more chances. I picked up a little extra yardage, which is helping too on some holes going in with shorter irons into those front pins, especially. It's all coming together quite nicely." (lpga.com, 21 Apr 2021, 17 Apr 2021; irishtimes.com, 18 Apr 2021; independent.ie, 02 Apr 2021; leonamaguire.com, 24 Mar 2020)

MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
In 2014 both she and her twin sister Lisa entered Duke University in the United States of America on golf scholarships. "[It] was one of the best decisions I have made. If I had stayed in Ireland I would probably have had to choose between studying and turning pro, but in America I can do both. And the weather is a big draw. You can play golf all year without wearing five or six layers or worrying about the course being closed for rain." (independent.ie, 12 Jun 2016; irishtimes.com, 01 Aug 2015)