Leona Maguire keeps Major dream alive with battling 73
Leona Morgan. Picture: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
Leona Maguire kept her Major dreams on life support as she battled to a second round 73 in the ANA Inspiration in California.
Chasing her maiden LPGA win in the opening Major of the season, the doughty Cavan star (26) was a shot off the lead after opening with a five-under 67 at Mission Hills, .
But despite struggling with her irons she limited the damage to finish the day tied 12th on four-under, just five shots behind Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit, whose 69 gave her a one-shot lead over China’s Shanshan Feng (69) on nine-under.
The Slieve Russell star started well in sweltering, near windless conditions in Palm Springs, making made an eight footer for birdie at her third hole of the day to join Moriya Jutanugarn overnight leader Tavatanakit at the top on six-under.
But it was a struggle on her homeward nine as she dropped a shot at the first, chipped close to birdie the par-five second, but then three-putted the third from nearly 50 feet to go back to level for the day.
A 15-foot chance slid past the edge at the fourth but after getting up and down for par at the short fifth, where her tee shot almost rolled back into the penalty area, the Slieve Russell star (26) salvaged a miraculous bogey five at the sixth.
A weak approach into the water left her 100 yards for her fourth and a double-bogey looked certain as she came up short of the green. But she chipped in for her five, then made an eight footer for par at the par-three eighth before closing with a par five.
Stephanie Meadow also shot 73 to make the cut in joint 44th on level par.
On the PGA Tour, Pádraig Harrington failed to make a birdie for the first time this year and followed his opening 70 with a two-over 74 in the Texas Valero Open to slip back into the pack, tied 32nd, on level par.
The European Ryder Cup captain was nine shots behind American Cameron Tringale, who followed his opening 66 with a 69 to lead by two strokes from Jordan Spieth (70) and England’s Matt Wallace (68) on nine-under par.
Graeme McDowell also made the weekend, carding a 71 to share 44th on one-over.
Harrington has struggled with his short game in recent weeks but it was his long game that let him down at TPC San Antonio where he hit just 10 greens in regulation.
He made an early bogey six at the second and dropped another shot at the seventh before stringing together nine pars on the back nine.
He missed chances from 11 feet at the 11th and six feet at the 12th before he eventually made a 12 footer for par at the 14th.
California native Tringale (33) started the day two strokes behind Camilo Villegas. But while he bogeyed hist first two holes, he made five birdies in a row from the 13th before mixing two birdies with two bogeys on the back nine.
“I was two-over through two, so I was really just trying to get back into the round and get into the red numbers again,” Tringale said.
“But then I looked back and I thought, wow, that was five in a row and I didn't even birdie 18, which is probably the easiest of all of them.”
As for Spieth, the Texan continues to show ominous signs of form heading into the Masters.
