SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow go back. Way back.
Just how long have the Emerald Isle golfers known one another?
“I’ll put it this way,” Meadow said with a laugh. “I knew her when she was reading ‘Harry Potter’ books, so that was a long time ago.”
Maguire and Meadow competed against one another in junior golf. They played on the same Curtis Cup team in 2012. They’ve roomed together. Maguire attended Meadow’s wedding earlier this year.
And on Sunday, as luck would have it, they’ll tee off in the final threesome at a major championship.
Maguire, from County Cavan, Ireland, leads the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at 7-under 206. Meadow, who hails from Northern Ireland and holds membership at the famed Royal Portrush, climbed to third place Saturday at 5-under 208.
Along with second-place Jenny Shin of South Korea (6 under), they’ll tee off together Sunday morning at Baltusrol Golf Club, either of them capable of becoming the first Irishwoman to win a major title.
“I can’t think of anything much better for Irish women’s golf, which is incredible,” Meadow said.
Maguire is a former No. 1 amateur in the world who’s coming off her second LPGA victory last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Meadow, on the other hand, is No. 151 in the world rankings and has won a European event in her native Northern Ireland but never on the LPGA.
But Meadow had one of Saturday’s best rounds — five birdies and a single bogey coming together for a 67. She led the field in total putts, needing just 26 over 18 holes.
“We’ve been good friends a long time,” Maguire said of Meadow. “We’ve done battle many times before. It’s great to see her playing so well.”
Maguire led by a stroke after two rounds and scrambled her way to a 69 on Saturday with four birdies and two bogeys. Her two-putt birdie at the par-5 18th helped her wiggle out of a tie with Shin.
So you’ll forgive Maguire for not wanting to think ahead to any potential celebration.
“There’s a lot of business to take care of between now and then, so not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” she said, before adding that “Irish fans are the best fans in the world.”
Meadow thought of Royal Portrush, where Irishman Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open Championship.
“There will be lots of drinks flowing,” Meadow said. “I always feel the support from home.
“I know they’re rooting for both of us, and I hope that we can inspire some young girls in the process.”
–By Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media