Leona Maguire and Marina Alex are happy there aren’t many fans this week at the LPGA Drive On Championship.
Not because they don’t enjoy playing in front of them. But that’s part of the reason there aren’t many scoreboards at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, with only club members and guests allowed to attend.
That’s allowed them to stay focused on what’s in front of them. Saturday will be a chance for Maguire’s first LPGA victory and Alex’s second.
“No scoreboards out here, which is not a bad thing,” Maguire said. “I kind of feel like we’re going back to what it was like in college. College there was no leaderboards. Never knew where I was. I’m not going to look at a leaderboard tomorrow. Just going to try and post a number.”
“There is really no indication out there of what’s going on, which I don’t really mind,” Alex said. “I got made fun of for Portland (when she won in 2018), but I truly didn’t check a leaderboard when I played that last day at all. Maybe that’s helping me just not really paying attention to that and just going out there and doing my business.”
Last April, Maguire finished tied for second in the Lotte Championship seven shots behind Lydia Ko and had the 36-hole lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic before tying for second behind Nelly Korda. Maguire made more of an impact in September’s Solheim Cup, going 4-0-1.
So she’s been a hot pick to breakthrough.
Friday, the 27-year-old put herself in position to do so entering the final round with a 7-under 65, tying the low score of the day, to get to 13 under.
Maguire birdied the par-5 18th to increase her lead, before Alex, who finished on the front nine, birdied the final two holes to catch her.
“My wedges have been really dialed in,” Maguire said. “Just staying really patient. I think that’s been the theme of the last two weeks in general with the wind we’ve been getting.
“Taking your chance where you get them, taking the pars on the tougher holes playing into the wind. Sort of coming down the stretch 14, 15, 16, were a grind back into the wind, but felt like I had put myself in a good position early on to sort of relax on the last few holes.”
Alex was tied for the first-round lead with Nasa Hataoka and had a late tee time versus an early one in the first round.
“A little tired,” she said. “It’s a long day. Just up all day and just the rounds are a little bit on the longer side because long walks between, so I’m a little worn out right now.
“I was kind of losing a little steam, but happy to finish birdie-birdie. I kind of like feel like I blacked out a little bit out there toward the end because I was so tired and I was like, ‘All right, we’re almost done.'”
Alex, who played on the Solheim Cup team in 2019, knows of Maguire’s performance last September.
“She’s a fiery girl, great competitor,” Alex said. “It was fun watching her play Solheim, so I’m excited.”
Veteran Stacy Lewis shot a 5-under 67 earlier in the day to move into the lead at 9 under and goes into the final round tied for third with Brittany Altomare and Linnea Johansson. Lexi Thompson, Jeongeun Lee6, Patty Tavatanakit are tied for sixth, but five back.
“I had a few shots I would like to hit over again, but got off to a really good start this morning,” Lewis said. “I birdied 8 and 9 (Thursday) finishing out my round, and just kind of kept that momentum going. Made some birdies early. Got tough there on the back nine with the wind kind of playing I think some of the hardest holes on the golf course with the most amount of wind we had today, but just really, really happy with the way I played.”
Lewis, 36, a former World No. 1 who has 13 wins but one since 2017, is happy to be back in contention. She tied for eighth last week.
“Seeing your name on a leaderboard, being in those last couple groups, I told my caddie last week, ‘Wow, it’s been a while since we’ve been in this those last few groups,'” she said. “It’s where you want to be. You want to give yourself a chance to win on Sunday but Saturday this week, and that’s been my goal from Day 1, just giving myself opportunities to win.”
That’s been what Maguire has been doing, too, and Thompson wouldn’t be surprised to see her hoist the winner’s trophy Saturday.
“I’ve played with her quite a bit, even in junior golf, and we all know the talent she has,” said Thompson, who played with Maguire the past two days. “She played an amazing round of golf today again in the wind. It’s definitely fun to watch, feeding off each other, making birdies on the out there.
“So we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Maguire is ready for it to bring her first title, but OK if it doesn’t.
She felt like last year she may have been pressing too much when she got into contention.
“I think last year maybe I tried to chase things a little bit too much, put a bit too much pressure on myself, tried to force things a little bit,” she said.
Maguire said she’s drawing from Lydia Ko, who has rebuilt her game after bursting onto the tour with 14 victories in her first four years and got the victory last week in Boca Raton.
“Lydia (Ko) said last week, ‘If you knock on the door enough times eventually it’ll open,'” Maguire said. “I’m adopting that same mentality, putting myself in these positions. Put a lot of work in over the offseason too, and it’s nice that it’s paying off this early in the season.
“If it does, great. If not, no big deal. We still got a long year ahead of us.”
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
LPGA Drive On Championship final-round pairings
Saturday
No. 1 Tee
7:40 a.m. — Annie Park, Levittown, N.Y. (-1); Alison Lee, Los Angeles (-1)
7:49 a.m. — Pajaree Anannarukarn, Thailand (-1); Rachel Rohanna, Marianna, Pa. (-1)
7:58 a.m. — Lilia Vu, Fountain Valley, Calif. (-1); Ruixin Liu, China (-1); Paula Reto, South Africa (-1)
8:09 a.m. — Jodi Ewart Shadoff, England (-1); Carlota Ciganda, Spain (-1); Aditi Ashok, India (-1)
8:20 a.m. — Fatima Fernandez Cano, Spain (-1); Yealimi Noh, Concord, Calif. (-1); Dana Finkelstein, Chandler, Ariz. (-1)
8:31 a.m. — Anna Nordqvist, Sweden (-2); Pernilla Lindberg, Sweden (-2); Guilia Molinaro, Italy (-2)
8:42 a.m. — Isi Gabsa, Germany (-2); Amy Yang, South Korea (-2); Ayaka Furue, Japan (-2)
8:53 a.m. — Ariya Jutanugarn, Thailand (-2); Katherine Perry-Hamski, Cary, N.C. (-2); Lindsey Weaver-Wright, Celina, Texas (-2)
9:04 a.m. — Wichanee Meechai, Thailand (-2); Nelly Korda, Bradenton (-2); Moriya Jutanugarn, Thailand (-2)
9:15 a.m. — Jenny Shin, South Korea (-2); Pornanong Phatlum, Thailand (-2); Brittany Lincicome, Seminole (-2)
9:26 a.m. — Austin Ernst, Seneca, S.C. (-3); Marissa Steen, West Chester, Ohi (-3); Angela Stanford, Saginaw, Texas (-2)
9:37 a.m. — Biana Pagdanganan, Philippines (-3); Georgia Hall, England (-3); Amy Olson, Fargo, N.D. (-3)
9:48 a.m. — Gemma Dryburgh, Scotland (-3); Janie Jackson, Huntsville, Ala. (-3); Na Rin An, South Korea (-3)
9:59 a.m. — Ryann O’Toole, San Clemente, Calif. (-4); Nasa Hataoka, Japan (-4); A Lim Kim, South Korea (-3)
10:10 a.m. — Cydney Clanton, Concord, N.C. (-4); Xiyu Janet Lin, China (-4); Megan Khang, Rockland, Mass. (-4)
10:21 a.m. — Perrine Delacour, France (-4); Kelly Tan, Malaysia (-4); Hye-Jin Choi, South Korea (-4)
10:32 a.m. — Su Oh, Australia (-5); Caroline Masson, Germany (-5); Bronte Law, England (-5)
10:43 a.m. — Inbee Park, South Korea (-5); Allisen Corpuz, Kapolei, Hawaii (-5); Jasmine Suwannapura, Thailand (-5)
10:54 a.m. — Sarah Schmelzel, Phoenix, Ariz. (-6); Madelene Sagstrom, Sweden (-6); Cheyenne Knight, Aledo, Texas (-5)
11:05 a.m. — Brooke Henderson, Canada/Miromar Lakes (-6); Jennifer Chang, Cary, N.C. (-6); In Gee Chun, South Korea (-6)
11:16 a.m. — Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Boca Raton (-7); Yaeeun Hong, South Korea (-7); Charley Hull, England (-7)
11:27 a.m. — Atthaya Thitikul, Thailand (-7); Celine Boutier, France (-7); Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, France (-7)
11:38 a.m. — Jeongeun Lee6, South Korea (-8); Patty Tavatanakit, Thailand (-8); Lauren Stephenson, Lexington, S.C. (-7)
11:49 a.m. — Stacy Lewis, The Woodlands, Texas (-9); Linnea Johansson, Sweden (-9); Lexi Thompson, Delray Beach (-8)
Noon — Leona Maguire, Ireland (-13); Marina Alex, Wayne, N.J. (-13); Brittany Altomare, Shrewsbury, Mass. (-9)
