Maguire slips behind in wet and windy New Jersey
Leona Maguire was undone by the “Irish weather” and followed her opening 66 with a 76 to slip 11 shots behind Rose Zhang in the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey.
The Co Cavan star was tied third overnight, but with wind and rain making Upper Montclair Country Club a tough test, she made five bogeys against just one birdie to slip to two under.
Overnight leader Zhang picked up four shots on her back nine en route to a 68 that left her seven shots clear in the clubhouse at 13 under.
“It was definitely cold out there today,” Zhang (20) said. “Very wet conditions. It was playing very long, so there were a lot more hybrids, woods into greens. Wind also picked up.”
Meanwhile, Lauren Walsh shot a four-over 76 to share 53rd after the opening round of the Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Korea.
She was eight shots behind HyoJoo Kim while her team of Austria’s Emma Spitz, Sweden’s Corinne Viden and Korean amateur Kyungrim Kim were tied for 11th.
At the Myrtle Beach Classic, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre followed his opening 64 with a 67 to set the early halfway pace on 11 under as he seeks his maiden P GA Tour win at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
Delayed
Meanwhile, Pádraig Harrington completed his weather-delayed first round with six pars in the Regions Tradition, the first of five senior Majors, to open with a seven-under 65 and head into round two in a six-way tie for the lead. He was tied with Steve Flesch, Chris DiMarco, Doug Barron, Ernie Els and Kenny Perry at Greystone in Alabama, just one shot ahead of Marco Dawson and Charlie Wi.
On the Challenge Tour, it was a week to forget for the Irish in the Challenge de Espana at Sevilla Golf.
Ronan Mullarney shot a two-under 70 to share 20th on three-under at halfway with Dermot McElroy 41st on one-under after a 71, but the other seven Irish missed the level-par cut.
Jonny Cald well, Alex Maguire, Gary Hurley, and Conor Purcell finished on five over, with John Murphy and Con or O’ Rourke seven over and Mark Power 10 over.
France’s Sebastien Gros fired a brilliant eight-under-par round of 64 to lead a six-strong chasing group by two shots on nine under.
In the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open at County S li go, Walker Cup duo Liam Nolan of Galway and Malone’s Matthew McClean shot 68s to set the pace on eight under at halfway.
They lead by two strokes from Berehaven’s Joe O’Neill, who shot 69, while overnight leader Gavin Tiernan from Baltray sits alone in fourth on five under after a 72. Co Sligo’s TJ Ford shot 71 to share fifth on three under with the cut for the top 50 and ties set to fall after today’s third round.
Wells Fargo Championship, Live, Sky Sports, 12.15pm