Ireland's Leona Maguire records first LPGA ace at Evian to hold share of lead
"Looked good in the air," said Maguire. "You're never sure on that hole until the ball actually lands. Sort of a perfect morning for it. Not much wind which is nice, especially on that tee box."
Leona Maguire of Ireland celebrates a hole in one with Perrine Delacour of France on the second hole during Round One of The Amundi Evian Championship 2025 at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 10, 2025 in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Maguire actually holds a share of the 18-hole course record at the Amundi Evian after carding a scorching 61 in 2021. The experience, on a course that requires it, meant a great deal after a fun but tiring week at the KPMG Women's Irish Open, which qualifies as a "mini major" for her. This marks the fifth consecutive week of competition for Maguire, dating back to the Meijer LPGA Classic, and she welcomed the rare chance to have the pro-am off this week in France.
Advertisement
"It was also my first not being in the pro-am in a about four, five years, so that was also a nice break," said Maguire.
"So also not a panic, I guess, as much of a scramble to try and get as much in as you possibly can Monday through Wednesday. It was nice to be quite fresh this morning, almost."
Maguire began her first round on the 10th hole with bogey and quickly rebounded with birdie on the second. With five birdies and an ace on the day, the former Duke star hit 15 greens, 11 fairways and needed only 27 putts in her opening round.
"I think you have to be very patient, very accepting," said Maguire of what it takes to be successful at Evian. "You know you're not going to get a flat lie out there. You'll get some iffy bounces.
Advertisement
"Did a really good job staying patient. Hit what I thought was a perfect tee shot down 6 and ended up in a divot. You have to accept things like that."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Leona Maguire records first LPGA ace at Evian to hold share of lead
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lee5 leads Evian champ Kim at LPGA Portland Classic
South Korea's Lee5 Jeong-eun fired six birdies in a five-under par 67 on Friday to grab a one-shot lead over Evian Championship winner Grace Kim and Gurleen Kaur in the second round of the LPGA Portland Classic. Lee5, a 36-year-old chasing her first LPGA Tour title, thrived again at Edgewater Country Club, where she finished tied for second in 2021. She rolled in five straight birdies from the fifth through the ninth, and added one more at 12 before her lone bogey of the day at 13, moving atop the leaderboard with a 12-under par total of 132. Australia's Kim, who won her first major title last month with a playoff victory at the Evian, had an eagle and six birdies in her seven-under 65 for 133 while Kaur posted a 68. Lee -- whose numeral 5 designation differentiates her from five other players with the same name -- said she tried to stay patient in chilly morning conditions, but after a birdie at the par-five fifth she just rode the momentum and "great energy to continue making birdies until hole nine." She needed just 25 putts in a stellar performance on the greens. "Honestly, all my birdie chances were a short putt, so I think that was the reason I was able to make those birdies and have a low putting stroke today," she said. Kim wasn't thrilled with her performance off the tee, but said her shots into the greens and putting "really backed up my game. "Had a lot of good range, mid-range to long putts today, so that was nice," said Kim. "Just rolled it well." She teed off on 10 and had three birdies and a bogey in her first nine holes. After a birdie at the second she eagled the fifth, then closed with back-to-back birdies at eight and nine. "This week is always a bit of a birdie fest," Kim said. "Knowing that, I'm going to try not to get too ahead of myself and be greedy." Kaur also finished strong, closing birdie-birdie for a four-under 68 to join Kim on 11-under -- one shot clear of Akie Iwai, Pajaree Anannarukarn and Ashleigh Buhai. Overnight leader Adela Cernousek of France carded a three-over par 75 to fall seven shots off the pace. LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, 65 and playing her first LPGA event since 2022 as she prepares for the US Women's Senior Open, came up just shy of a slice of LPGA history. She followed an opening 69 with a two-over 74 and missed breaking the record for oldest player to make an LPGA cut by one stroke. bb/jgc
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lee5 takes Portland Classic lead. Inkster falls shot short in bid to make cut at age 65
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jeongeun Lee5 shot a 6-under 67 on Friday to take the lead in The Standard Portland Classic, while 65-year-old Juli Inkster fell short in her bid to become the oldest player to make a cut in LPGA Tour history. Lee5, the 36-year-old South Korean player, had a 12-under 132 total at Columbia Edgewater. Winless on the LPGA Tour, she birdied the final five holes on her front nine in the morning round. 'When we are playing well, we expect it to continue,' Lee5 said. 'So, I want to really concentrate and focus going into the weekend. The past two rounds I had great energy, good shots, and good putts.' Inkster, the Hall of Famer who won the 1999 event, followed her opening 69 with a 74 to miss the cut by a stroke. JoAnne Carner was 64 when she made the cut in the 2004 Chick Fil-A Charity Championship. 'Wasn't very inspiring,' Inkster said. 'I didn't drive the ball as well as I did yesterday. Kind of a grind out there today.' She played to prepare for the U.S. Senior Women's Open next week. Grace Kim of Australia and Gurleen Kaur of the United States were a stroke back on the tree-lined course. Kim had a 65, and Kaur shot 68. Akie Iwai had her second straight 67 to join Pajaree Anannarukarn (67) and Ashleigh Buhai (68) at 10 under. Amateur Kiara Romero had a 69 to get to 8 under. The University of Oregon star won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior and 2025 Big Ten title. 'It feels really good just to see my game match up against some of these pros, just getting more comfortable playing in front of crowds and stuff,' Romero said. 'My first time playing in front of a big crowd I kind of got a little bit shaken up and was nervous out there.' Two-time champion Brooke Henderson, a stroke back after an opening 65, had a 73 to fall to 6 under. The Canadian star is winless since January 2023 and has dropped to 52nd in the world. First-round leader Adela Cernousek followed her opening 64 with a 75 to drop to 5 under. Angel Yin, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 7, was 2 under after a 70. No. 9 Haeran Ryu also was 6 under, shooting 72. Defending champion Moriya Jutanugarn missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 74. The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972. ___ AP golf:


Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Jeongeun Lee5 takes Portland Classic lead, while Juli Inkster falls shot short of making historic cut
'When we are playing well, we expect it to continue,' Lee5 said. 'So, I want to really concentrate and focus going into the weekend. The past two rounds I had great energy, good shots, and good putts.' Inkster, the Hall of Famer who won the 1999 event, followed her opening 69 with a 74 to miss the cut by a stroke. JoAnne Carner was 64 when she made the cut in the 2004 Chick Fil-A Charity Championship. 'Wasn't very inspiring,' Inkster said. 'I didn't drive the ball as well as I did yesterday. Kind of a grind out there today.' Advertisement She played to prepare for the US Senior Women's Open next week. Juli Inkster with a textbook birdie to get back to 3-under 🔥 — LPGA (@LPGA) Grace Kim (65) of Australia and Gurleen Kaur (68) of the United States were a stroke back of the leader on the tree-lined course. Akie Iwai had her second straight 67 to join Pajaree Anannarukarn (67) and Ashleigh Buhai (68) at 10 under. Amateur Kiara Romero had a 69 to get to 8 under. The University of Oregon star won the 2023 US Girls' Junior and 2025 Big Ten title. 'It feels really good just to see my game match up against some of these pros, just getting more comfortable playing in front of crowds and stuff,' Romero said. 'My first time playing in front of a big crowd I kind of got a little bit shaken up and was nervous out there.' Advertisement And she's 8-under heading into the weekend at the — LPGA (@LPGA) Two-time champion Brooke Henderson, a stroke back after an opening 65, had a 73 to fall to 6 under. The Canadian star is winless since January 2023 and has dropped to 52nd in the world. First-round leader Adela Cernousek followed her opening 64 with a 75 to drop to 5 under. Angel Yin, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 7, was 2 under after a 70. No. 9 Haeran Ryu also was 6 under, shooting 72. Defending champion Moriya Jutanugarn missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 74. The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972.