Leona to tee it up in Rio

Leona Maguire will tee it up in Rio as golf returns to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904.

The Ballyconnell superstar was in action last weekend in her first professional US Open in California, where she missed the cut by a single shot.
However, the aim is to be in fine fettle for Rio.
“The Olympics have been a goal of mine since I was a little kid. I didn’t know what sport I was going to be in, and it’s great now that golf is back in the Olympics and I have the opportunity to go,” the Anglo-Celt Sports Star of the Year told the Duke Chronicle, a newspaper based in Carolina, where she attends university.
“I know there’s been a little debate over majors versus Olympics, but for me, an Olympic gold medal is as big as they come.”
Maguire has not played many professional events recently because of her schedule with the Blue Devils - the Duke University side - but the 2015 United States Player of the Year has a packed schedule leading up to the Olympics.
After finishing tied for 32nd individually at the NCAA championship in late May while battling vertigo, she helped Great Britain and Ireland to an 11.5-8.5 win against the US in the Curtis Cup by going 4-1 in her matches and will play in several professional events to try to seal her trip to Rio.
Maguire, who has played in four of the sport’s five majors, will compete at the Ricoh Women’s British Open later this month.
“My schedule this summer is sort of being based around trying to play as many pro events as I can to try and make that cut for the deadline in July,” Maguire said prior to Monday’s confirmation that she was in.
Duke head coach Dan Brooks said he was excited to watch Maguire’s summer unfold, noting that she should be fine as long as she gets enough rest between summer events. Maguire has posted 16 top-10 finishes in 19 starts with the Blue Devils.
“There has not been a player on my team that handles things better than Leona Maguire,” Brooks said. “That ought to be her middle name, 'Handle.’ [She] handles weather, difficult golf courses, extremely tight schedule, academics — she’s just a really strong kid.”
Maguire, whose best major finish came at the 2015 Evian Championship with a tie for 34th, noted that she hopes her previous experiences can lead her to new heights before her third season in college.
“Any time you play in a big event with players that are on a world-class stage, the pros are playing on that sort of stage day-in and day-out. I’m not, but I try and get to play against people who are better,” Maguire said.
“For me, you always learn things and hopefully I can bring the experiences that I’ve had in those events in the past and build off them and do even better.”
Leona’s twin sister Lisa will act as caddy at the Games.