Maguire on form as Dunne shows signs of revival and Smith complains about OWGR

Leona Maguire of Ireland during the First Round of the HSBC Women's World Championship at Sentosa Golf Club on March 03, 2022 in Singapore. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Leona Maguire returned energised from her two-week break and fired five birdies in a bogey-free 66 to lie just a shot off the lead at the Dana Open in Ohio.

Ranked a career-high 15th in the world, the Co Cavan star was tied fourth behind the leaders, China's Ruoning Yin, Spain's Carlota Ciganda and Korea's Hye-Jin Choi at Highland Meadows.

"Yeah, played really solid," said the Ballyconnell star (27), who put some new irons in the bag at home last week and saw immediate results.

"Gave myself lots of chances and had a nice birdie on 13 to sort of get it going and then 18 to make the turn. Kind of built on that momentum then and had a couple in a row, 3, 4, and, yeah, putted nicely. Gave myself lots of chances. Overall pretty solid day. Any time you go bogey-free, it's a bit nicer of a day."

Maguire will be back home for the KPMG Women's Irish Open at Dromoland Castle later this month but she was pleased to spent a few weeks in Ireland this summer.

"Yeah, I loved the summer," she said. "It was nice. It was probably the most time I've spent at home in quite a while. Nice to be home.

"My whole family was home. Mom and dad and Lisa got to go to the British and my brother came to the event in Northern Ireland, so it was one of the first times in a long time that the whole family was able to come watch me and then actually spend some time at home.

"Sort of nice to get that refresh and go again for the sort of last end of the season."

Stephanie Meadow was tied 66th after making five birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey in rollercoaster, level par 71.

Open champion Cameron Smith believes it's unfair players who've joined LIV Golf are not getting world ranking points.

The world number two is exempt for the Majors for the next five years, but he could face a big problem if the new tour's application for points is denied.

"It's really a shame that we are not getting world ranking points out here," Smith said ahead of his LIV Golf debut outside Boston. "To have 48 of the best guys around the world playing, and not to get world ranking points, is perhaps a little bit unfair. It's still super competitive out here. I just really think it's a little bit unfair... I hope that these world ranking points will sort themselves out before my exemption is up."

Former world number 65 Paul Dunne is now ranked 1435th in the world and while he urgently needs results to avoid a trip to Q-School, he was pleased to open with a four-under 67 in the Made in HimmerLand in Denmark, the scene of his last top-10 finish in 2019.

The former British Masters winner (29), who has made just four of 19 cuts this year, is 223rd in the Race to Dubai with only the top 121 keeping their cards.

"I probably threw away what could've been a much better round, but I'm happy enough with a good start," Dunne said after dropping shots at the 17th and 18th. "I'm a bit mentally tired because this is my 10th week in a row, so little mistakes are creeping in whether I'm playing well or badly."

Keen to take advantage of his last start for three weeks, he added: "Obviously, it hasn't been a great time for me, so I need to have a really strong finish. I know I'll have Q-School if I don't, so I just have to get into the rhythm of playing golf again and turning my two-overs into two-unders and my four-unders into seven-unders."

Dunne is tied for 33rd but Jonny Caldwell, exempt until the end of 2023, carded a bogey-free, six-under 65 to share 13th.

He's three behind England's Ross McGowan, whose nine-under 62 gave him a one-shot lead over a five-strong group as level par 71s left Cormac Sharvin and Gavin Moynihan 99th.

In Belgium, John Murphy carded a six-under 66 to share seventh in the B-NL Challenge Trophy, three behind Clement Sordet as Tom McKibbin shot 68 (22nd), Conor Purcell a 69 (38th), Gary Hurley 70 (53rd), Ruaidhri McGee 71 (84th), Ronan Mullarney 74 (139th) and Robin Dawson 78 (153rd).

At the Eisenhower Trophy in Paris, Ireland are 29th on one-over, 23 shots behind Japan, after Robert Moran shot a one-over 72, Mark Power 73 and Matt McClean a discarded 74 at Le Golf National.