Maguire hailed as 'silent assassin' as Solheim tees off

Golf

Leona Maguire is currently in action in her opening Solheim Cup match against top Americans Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz.

The Cavan star, who won four-and-a-half points from a possible five when Europe won the event two years ago in Ohio, is paired with vice-captain Anna Nordqvist.

The Swede described the Ballyconnell star as an “amazing player”.

“Just because you’re a rookie doesn’t mean that you can’t play well,” said Nordqvist.

“We all saw Leona Maguire absolutely kill it in 2021, the way she played. Amazing player. I mean, she’s as competitive as it gets. And you know, you can see she thrives under pressure. Those are the moments she played the best.

“She’s so professional about everything she does. She’s patient, she loves competing and she loves the Solheim.”

“She’s kind of like a silent assassin,” teammate Emily Pedersen added. The Dane revealed that Maguire had chipped in several times during a practice round.

Korda is currently ranked third in the world while Corpuz is the reigning US Women’s Open champion.

At the time of writing, the Americans are two up through 15 in Maguire's match.