Leona Maguire has revealed that she is focusing on the brighter side of life as she looks ahead to 2024.
Maguire's 2024 season featured standout moments, including her historic LET win and a strong runner-up finish in Las Vegas, alongside consistent performances that secured her a spot in the Tour Championship. The Cavan native also became the first Irish woman to be inducted into the Women's Golf Coaches Association Players Hall of Fame.
However, coming last in the Olympics, her Solheim Cup omissions, and a drop in world rankings marked some low points.
Reflecting on her year, Maguire believes that if this is as tough as it gets, she has little to complain about, especially given the challenges others face worldwide.
"People only see the results," said the 30-year-old to the Irish Times. "They don't see the work that goes on behind the scenes. I feel like I worked harder this year than any other year, and it just didn’t quite show in the results. I know it’s close. I know it’s in there. I know what I can do under pressure when I need to, like in London.
"This year, if that’s the worst it gets, I don’t really have much to complain about—there are a lot bigger problems going on in the world than missing a few putts or a few bogeys or whatnot."
World class. 🏆
The winning eagle from Leona Maguire who becomes Ireland’s first LET winner 🇮🇪#RaiseOurGame | #SEETheImpact pic.twitter.com/1kPbYtwRNy
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) July 5, 2024
Maguire believes there is still much to learn and acknowledges that striving for perfection can be dull. She feels the experience of being not the best will serve her well in the future.
"There’s still a lot of learning to take out of it, still a lot of positives. I was able to manage my game to make a lot of cuts and get some results even though I didn’t have my A-game.
"You’re learning all the time, trying to fine-tune things—and it’d be boring if everything was just going up and up and up the whole time."
Maguire is now focused on resting and recovering after the season. She is determined to make a strong start to 2024 and maintain that momentum throughout the year.
"So it’s nice to have a bit of a longer break. We have six weeks to work on a few things, rest, recover, and reset to be ready to go again.
"I like to get off to a good start—it sets you up pretty well for the rest of the year and gives you more flexibility to pick and choose your schedule later.
"The ideal scenario is to do well early in the year and keep that momentum going. You have to be ready to go when the season rolls around, so starting the year at my home course in Orlando is one I always look forward to. It’s a great chance to hit the ground running."
