Leona Maguire to test herself against the pros at Ladies European Masters

World number one ranked amateur Leona Maguire is aiming to transfer her US collegiate form on to the professional stage when she competes in the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters at The Buckinghamshire Golf Club, outside London, starting on Thursday.

Maguire, who has completed her first year at Duke University in North Carolina, is playing on a sponsor’s invite in one of the biggest events on the Ladies European Tour, and is unfazed at taking on the pros.

“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s always nice to play in a professional event . . . I’ve got nothing to lose, I’ll see how I play and how the best players match up against me.”

The Cavan golfer first played in a professional event at the Northern Ireland Open as a 12-year-old and twice made the cut as an amateur when competing in the Irish Open at Portmarnock Links and Killeen Castle but, now aged 20, has developed into the world’s top lady amateur.

Maguire’s status as world number one has made her a big draw in the sport, and she has also received an invite to play in the Evian Masters – the fifth and final Major of the season – in France later in the year.