Leona Maguire will become the first Irish player to feature at the Solheim Cup after being named in Team Europe as a wildcard by captain Catriona Matthew.
The qualification window closed for the Solheim Cup concluded this weekend at the AIG Women's Open, where Maguire finished tied for 13th.
Welcome to the Team @leona_maguire. Leona becomes the first Irish player to represent #TeamEurope in a #SolheimCup
Congratulations Leona 🇪🇺#SolheimCup pic.twitter.com/GHjbvAJ6Ox— Solheim Cup Team Europe (@SolheimCupEuro) August 23, 2021
Maguire has been the epitome of consistent over the last number of months which has seen her break into the top 50 in the world rankings - in what is her first full season on the LPGA Tour. Her impressive form this season has seen her secure a top-15 finish at the Marathon LPGA Classic in Ohio and end in the top 10 at the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
In her last seven starts on the LPGA tour, the Cavan star has finished T15, T6, T15, T15, 2nd and now T13.
The 2021 Solheim Cup begins at the end of August and takes place at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
Maguire said: “I’m really excited. It's something that I’ve looked forward to. I have played the Ping Junior Solheim Cup in 2009 and 2011, it was an incredible thing to be part of the junior side so to be on the big team is something really special and no Irish person has ever done it before.”
Maguire's inclusion as a wildcard pick comes after she carded a one-under-par of 71 in her final round at the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie to finish tied 13th in the final major of the calendar year.
The two-time Olympian started the day just four shots off the lead but with two bogeys in the front nine, her hopes of a final day push were all but over. The Cavan star pulled things back in the back nine with birdies at the 11th, 13th and 14th holes which saw her finish tied for 13th – six shots behind Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist who took the title.
Kildare’s amateur golfer, Lauren Walsh, closed with a final round of 70 to tie for 42nd place. Walsh will make her Curtis Cup debut at Conwy in Wales next week. Walsh, from Castlewarden Golf Club in Kildare is a sophomore at Wake Forest University.
What an experience this has been! Absolutely incredible week making the cut at my first major @AIGWomensOpen at Carnoustie!
I can’t thank Clodagh enough for being the best caddy going! Also a massive thank you to everyone for all the messages and support throughout the week! 💛 pic.twitter.com/f3W4AsKvZW— Lauren Walsh (@llaurenwalsh) August 22, 2021
