Rookie Leona Maguire birdied her last four holes to in the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship to post a major record-tying 10-under 61. It’s the second 61 of the week on the LPGA, with overnight leader Jeongeun Lee6 taking her own piece of history on Friday.
Hyo Joo Kim became the first player to shoot 61 in a major championship in the opening round of the 2014 Evian.
“There really wasn’t a whole a lot of difference between the 61 and 71 yesterday,” said Maguire. “I came off the course yesterday feeling like I played great and just didn’t hole any putts, and today they went in.
“Hit it that little bit closer and just holed a few more putts, so it’s fine margins as is golf. Today was all about getting a good round in and trying to get the momentum going into the Olympics next week.”
HOT ROUND
@leona_maguire makes major history with a record tying 61 at the @EvianChamp
pic.twitter.com/67cwkDLkyO
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 25, 2021
Maguire, 26, posted the clubhouse lead at 13-under 271. She hit nine fairways, 15 greens and took 24 putts in her bogey-free final round. Heading into this week, Maguire said she and coach Shane O’Grady worked specifically on shaping shots and holding them up off the slopes of the French Alps in the distance, and felt that was key.
Maguire first played the Evian Resort Golf Club as a 12-year-old in a junior event and still has the picture she took with the Evian winner in 2007, Natalie Gulbis.
In that final run on Sunday, Maguire hit a 3-wood from 240 to 15 feet on the par-5 15th and two-putted for birdie. She hit it to a foot on the par-3 16th with an 8-iron. On the par-4 17th, Maguire hit a sawed-off 8-iron to 7 feet and then polished it off with birdie on the gettable closing par 5.
“I think if 12-year-old me saw a 61 up there,” she said, “I would be pretty happy.”
The former Duke star is surely a lock for the 2021 European Solheim Cup team. Her last five starts on the LPGA – T-26, T-9, 2, T-15, T-15 – make her someone to keep an eye on at the Tokyo Olympics as well. Maguire, of Ireland, spent 135 weeks as the No. 1 amateur in the world and finished 21st at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
“Hopefully the few years of professional golf under my belt will help me this time,” said Maguire. “Never been to Asia before. Excited to go to Japan.”