Harry Potter fan Leona Maguire hopes her putter transforms into a magic wand as she looks to make it a summer to remember.
Following a semi-final finish in last week's LPGA Matchplay in Las Vegas and with four majors to come in a jam-packed seven weeks that precede the KPMG Irish Open and the Solheim Cup in the autumn, Maguire wants to make the next few weeks and month count.
Maguire is playing in the Americas Open in Liberty National in Jersey City from today, and on Monday she'll get her first practice round at nearby Baltusrol, where the LPGA will be held from June 22.
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The Women's US Open will be held at Pebble Beach for the first time in early July - Maguire describes it as a "bucket list place"
She has already picked up tips from Graeme McDowell, who won the men's US Open there in 2010, as they practice at the same club in Orlando. Her caddy Dermot Byrne and McDowell's bag man Ken Conboy are good friends and have also compared notes.
“We grew up watching the (Irish) lads play the majors on TV at a lot of these venues, so it’s nice to actually go there and see those iconic holes and figure out the best way to play them," she said.
"The common theme is they are all tough golf courses and you have to make sure that your game is in as sharp a place as possible before you get there.
"They are all fairly compacted in the schedule - KPMG, week off, US Open, a few weeks off and then the Evian and British are very close to each other.
"So you have to make sure that the game is as sharp as possible and that, mentally and physically, you're in a good place as well.”
Maguire will approach the majors with confidence, having recorded a top 10 finish in last year's US Open - and a top five in the AIG Women's British Open.
She won on the PGA Tour for the first time last year, too, and she is staying patient in her bid for that second victory.
"I'm trying to make improvements all the time, getting the accuracy of my driving up was something that we've put particular attention on in the last few weeks and months, and I drove the ball really well last week," she said.
"I had three top 10s early in the season, which is nice, but it was a bit stop-start.
"Hopefully I can build on that now coming into this really busy stretch. Hopefully I can build on the momentum of last week and bring it into this week."
The Cavan golfer is participating in the KPMG Books for Birdies campaign that will see a book donated to children to local schools in nearby Newmarket-on-Fergus and a number of DEIS schools. for every birdie that Maguire and her Irish Open rivals make.
Over €20,000 worth of children’s books will be donated and, given that her parents are teachers and education is close to her heart, it is a cause that Maguire is keen to embrace.
"It's a really nice initiative," she said. "And an extra incentive for me to try and make as many birdies as I can to get as many school books as possible for the kids for KPMG."
Leona and her twin sister Lisa were big Harry Potter fans as kids.
She smiled: "Were there seven or eight of the books? And Lisa and me, being competitive - 'what page are you on? What page are you on?' as we were racing our way through them."
Hermione was their hero and they were both Gryffindor fans.
"I would have read all the books and seen all the movies and all the rest," said the 28-year-old, who is also eager to find time in her busy schedule to visit the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando when Lisa next visits.
"I used to read a lot in college and I kind of got out of the habit of it a little bit."
For now, the focus is on her golf and making it another summer to remember.
Meanwgile, Maguire has advised Lauren Walsh not to change as she gets set to embark on his pro career in the US.
Castlewarden starlet Walsh, 22, plans to turn professional this summer and head for the LPGA Tour Q-School after rounding off her amateur career by helping Wake Forest claim their first NCAA Division 1 Women's title in Arizona.
The two-time Curtis Cup player's ambition is to follow Maguire and Stephanie Meadow onto the LPGA circuit.
"She’s got good people around her, which is the best starting point," said Maguire. "Her four years in college will have held her in good stead.
"The one thing Paul McGinley told me was not to change my clubs. I’d probably say the same thing to her. I think she’s Ping, like me - obviously they've been working well for her.
"So try not to change too many things. She’ll probably have people offering her advice and opinions and all the rest - probably stick to her guns for a bit and see what works.
"You see out on Tour every week people have a different way of doing it. You have to figure out what works for you - it’s a little bit of trial and error.
"There's no perfect plan or perfect way of doing it. She’s Q School coming up soon and I’m sure that’ll be her main focus and hopefully we’ll see her out here next year."
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