Leona Maguire endured another difficult day at Le Golf National in the Olympics golf competition which left her 21 shots off the lead of Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux and with nothing but pride to play for over the final two days.
Maguire’s 79 added up to 13-over-par 157 over two rounds and tied 57th of 60 players, with Stephanie Meadow marginally better at eight over after a 74 on day two, but also well off the pace and tied 52nd.
Both struggled with their driving on a course where the rough is particularly punishing, with Meadow losing almost five shots to the field in driving, and Maguire three shots.
Maguire had medal contention hopes having won on the Ladies European Tour in London last month. But her mixed year continues and having missed the cut at three of the four Majors, she has been left scrambling for form in advance of the final Major of the year, the Women’s Open at St Andrews, in two weeks’ time
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The Cavan woman double bogeyed the 12th hole in her second round and finished with a quadruple-bogey nine on the treacherous 18th hole where she hit into the water three times.
She was not the only player to have water trouble leading to a quadruple bogey as defending champion and world number one Nelly Korda recorded a 7 at the par 3 16th, which put a stain on a two-under-par round of 70 that included seven birdies.
Korda is still in medal contention at six shots off the lead of leader Metraux, who shot 66. Metraux at eight under leads China’s Ruaning Ying by a shot, who made a significant move with a 65 on day two. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko is on five under after a 67, a shot ahead of Slovakia’s Pia Babnik and Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe.
Home favourite Céline Boutier surrendered her overnight lead and dropped into the chasing pack after a 76, which included double bogeys on 13 and 15 after water trouble.
On the PGA Tour, the first day of the Wyndham Championship was suspended due to Storm Debby. Shane Lowry and Séamus Power will now get their tournaments under way on Friday in the last tournament before the FedEx Cup playoffs.
