Ireland's Leona Maguire records first LPGA ace at Evian to hold share of lead

Leona Maguire picked a fine time to record her first LPGA ace. The 30-year-old Irishwoman holed out with a 8-iron from 164 yards on the picturesque, downhill second hole at the Evian Resort Golf Club, overlooking Lake Geneva. The timely one boosted Maguire to an opening 6-under 65 and a share of the early lead with Andrea Lee in the fourth major of the season.

"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."

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.

"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.

"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