LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP

February 4, 2022

Leona Maguire

Crown Colony Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with the clubhouse leader after round two, Leona Maguire. Leona, what is it about Crown Colony that just really suits your game?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, just been playing really solid, of taking advantage of the shorter holes. My wedges have been really dialed in. 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.

Q. Before that though three consecutive birdies. How much did that help push you towards this back nine?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, it's all about momentum. Sort of felt like I left a few out there on the front nine, and then it was nice to get those three in a row on those sort of shorter holes, and then felt like I just needed to play the last few holes solid, which I did.

Nice to finish with a birdie on 18, too.

Q. Yeah, that birdie on 18, you birdied it for the second day in a row. How important is it to you to be able to take advantage of those par-5 holes?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, massive. I think they're borderline reachable for me, most of the them. You have to get a good drive and go for it bent into the greens.

Yeah, I mean, just trying to hit really solid shots and sort of being patient with the wind and bounces things like that.

Q. How comfortably are you out there, and when did it really start to feel like you were in a groove?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I mean, didn't feel at all comfortable last week. Wasn't comfortable early in the week. I guess bit by bit starting to feel more comfortable in the crosswinds, which there is a lot of them out there. Maybe not quite as many today.

But, yeah, I mean, bit by bit. It's still early in this the season. Still only two events in so still finding my way. So far so good.

Q. You seem as calm and confident as maybe we've ever seen you. What has got you to this point?

LEONA MAGUIRE: I'm a year older, I guess. I don't know. 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.

Lydia said last week, If you knock on the door enough times eventually it'll open. I'm adopting that same mentality, putting myself in these positions. Put a lot of work in over the off-season 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.

Q. The ball striking looks really, really solid. Had you ever hit it this well that you can remember?

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, I wouldn't say this is the best I've hit it probably. I probably was hitting it better around Solheim and in the middle of the summer last year.

Again, just it's been quite clinical, doing what I needed to on the par-5s, which has been key. I feel like that's big for momentum around here, birdieing those par-5s and shorter holes.

So it's more my wedges probably that have been more dialed in than they have been in the past.

Q. As your game progressed today, were you or your caddie watching any scoreboards or getting live updates?

LEONA MAGUIRE: No. First scoreboard I saw I kind of caught a glimpse of it on 16. Other than that, no scoreboards out here, which is not a bad thing.

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.

Q. I will say this right now: You are the clubhouse leader. We have another Irishman at the top of the leaderboard to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Seamus Power. I know you have met him before and you know a little bit about him. You guys went to the Olympics together.

LEONA MAGUIRE: Yeah, it's incredible. Seamus is probably the most in-form golfer apart from Viktor Hovland on the planet right now. It's incredible to see him doing so well.

Yeah, we've kind of been going back and forth a little bit last year. He was doing well when I was doing well. He got his first win out there, which was huge for him. I mean, the more Irish people that are doing well the better. It's great to see him doing well, and hopefully I can sort of keep up with him.

Q. What's the mindset for you tomorrow as you take on the final day at Crown Colony?

LEONA MAGUIRE: More of the same, I think. Just staying patient, take my chances where I get them, hit lots of fairways, lots of greens, and hopefully the putter behaves tomorrow.