You see them around, those Leona Maguire supporters who sport “Queen of Cavan” logoed polo shirts when following the LPGA Tour star at various tournaments.
If that unofficial royalty status tells the story of how well-regarded the 28-year-old Cavan native is among her own, Cavan County Council is to honour Maguire with a civic reception to recognise her exploits on the global stage.
Maguire, for sure, has made a huge impact on the professional scene since joining the paid ranks after graduating from Duke University in 2018 during which time she spent a record 135 weeks atop the world amateur rankings.
A two-time Olympian, in Rio and Tokyo, the standout player in last year’s Solheim Cup and a breakthrough win on the LPGA Tour earlier this year in winning the Drive On Championship has now resulted in the civic reception.
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Civic receptions are afforded under Section 74 of the Local Government Act (As Amended), which provides that, “a local authority may confer a civic honour on a distinguished person,” and this reserved function to grant the civic reception was exercised by councillors, following a nomination by Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Councillor John Paul Feeley.
“Leona Maguire’s record in recent years marks her out as a leading Irish sportsperson. Representing Ireland internationally, she is wonderful ambassador for her county and her country. I am delighted that Cavan County Council, on behalf of the people of Cavan, is getting the opportunity to recognise her extraordinary achievements,” said Feeley, which will take place on Monday December 19th.
Gallacher to captain Europe’s Junior Ryder Cup team
Veteran European Tour player Stephen Gallacher has been chosen as Europe’s captain for the Junior Ryder Cup match against the United States, scheduled to take place in Rome from September 26th-28th next year.
The Scot described his captaincy as “a privilege”, adding: “I’m really looking forward to getting some [qualifying] events during the year and working with the most exciting future talent in Europe . . . . playing the final day at Marco Simone will be a fantastic experience for our players who get the opportunity to compete in front of the Ryder Cup crowds on the Ryder Cup course.”
Europe’s team of 12 will comprise 12 players – six girls and six boys – under the age of 18 on 1st January 2023 who have the opportunity to qualify through ranking events organised by the European Golf Association. Six players (three girls/three boys) will earn their places on the team through this system, with Gallacher having six wild cards to complete the selection.
By the numbers: 1-1
Rory McIlroy – who has been named as recipient of the Association of Golf Writers’ Golfer of the Year award for 2022 – and Séamus Power will each finish up the year as number ones. McIlroy is guaranteed to top the world rankings heading into 2023, while Power goes into the new year as number one on the FedEx Cup standings on the PGA Tour.
Word of Mouth
“I’ve finally done it. To do it on Leopard Creek as well is something special . . . . I think my plans just changed a little bit!” – 37-year-old Ockie Strydom after finally winning on the DP World Tour, his win in the Alfred Dunhill Championship earning him a career-best payday of €255,000 (his previous best was €53,000) and giving him status that allows him to include the tour’s visit to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in January on his itinerary.
On this day: December 13th, 2009
Robert Allenby wore a pink polo shirt for the final round of the Australian PGA Championship at Collum Golf Club in Queensland, where – a week after his win in the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City – he continued his rich vein of form.
A fourth career Australian PGA title came after a final round 66 for a total of 14-under-par 270 which gave him a four-strokes winning margin over fellow-Aussies John Senden and Scott Strange as his new claw grip again reaped dividends.
Remarkably, the victory, the 22nd worldwide of his career, would be his last. Still, it was a special win: “It was good to win wearing a pink shirt,” explained Allenby, who wore it in memory of his mother Sylvia who had died the previous year of cancer. “I felt totally in control of every shot. It was a nice feeling to win in that fashion, to walk down the 18th fairway with a four shot lead . . . . I played flawless golf.”
In the Bag - Justin Thomas
The Match: 22
Driver – Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees)
3-wood – Titleist TS3 (15 degrees)
5-wood – Titleist 915Fd (18 degrees)
Irons – Titleist T100 (4i), Titleist 621.JT Forged (5-9)
Wedges – Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46, 52 and 56), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60.5)
Putter – Scotty Cameron X5 Proto
Ball – Titleist Pro V1x
Twitter Twaddle
Thanks to @DPWorldTour and @SunshineTour for a fantastic 3 weeks in South Africa. Thanks for looking after us so well – I had a fantastic time! @LeopardCreekGC must have some of the best views in golf – Tom McKibbin after another fine performance, his tied-13th place finish in the Alfred Dunhill Championship (following a tied-15th in the South African Open and a tied-18th in the Joburg Open) bringing his South African odyssey to an end. The latest result moved him to 297th in the updated world rankings, only the second Irish golfer – after Rory McIlroy – to achieve breaking into the world’s top-300 as a teenager. McKibbin finishes off his year’s work at this week’s Mauritius Open, where Gary Hurley and John Murphy are also playing.
Bjorn winners (Now off to negotiate Oliver’s caddy fee!!) - Thomas Bjorn on winning the season-ending Legends Tour Championship in Mauritius, with his son Oliver on the bag.
We may not have won, but it was fun competing with and learning from the Dawg with the most dog in him. Thx for the week @K_Kisner #golf – Max Homa after teaming up with Kevin Kisner in the QBE Shootout, won by Sahith Theegala and Tom Hoge.
Know the Rules
Q In match play, a player, whose ball lies in a bunker, casually leans on his club in the bunker while waiting for his opponent to play. What is the ruling?
A As per Rule 12.2b(2), there is no penalty for a player casually leaning on his club in a bunker providing it is not for the purpose of testing the condition of the sand, or as otherwise prohibited by Rule 12.2b(1)
