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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Eamon Doggett

Leona Maguire and Padraig Harrington both in prime position for huge paydays

Leona Maguire and Padraig Harrington are both firmly in the hunt for big victories and paydays this weekend.

Maguire, 28, is into the semi-finals of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play after a comprehensive 3&2 victory over Lindsey Weaver-Wright in Las Vegas.

The Cavan golfer memorably showed her match play prowess when inspiring Europe to win the 2021 Solheim Cup in Ohio.

READ MORE: Brooks Koepka believes PGA Championship win "sparked energy" into LIV Golf

And Maguire has again shown why she is regarded as one of the fiercest competitors in the game this week.

She will meet Japan’s Ayaka Furue in the last four on Sunday, while in the other semi-final, Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn will face Linn Grant of Sweden.

Maguire is chasing a second victory on the LPGA Tour after her maiden victory in February 2022.

She is already guaranteed a $78,325 payday for making the semi-finals but will have her eyes on the $225,000 for the winner.

After her quarter-final victory, she said: "I'm really happy to get through 36 holes today. It's nice to be in the semi final. Played some really solid golf today.

"A little scrappy maybe this afternoon, but I knew it was going to be a battle out there and it was just a case of staying patient."

Meanwhile, on the Champions Tour, Padraig Harrington takes a one-shot lead over Steve Stricker into the final round of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in Dallas.

Harrington, 51, is on sixteen-under-par for the tournament after rounds of 64, 68 and 68 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco.

At one stage in his third round, Harrington had a five-shot lead over the field and was threatening to blitz the entire field.

Padraig Harrington reads his putt on the 18th hole during the third round of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East (Sam Hodde/PGA of America via Getty Images)

But, having not made a bogey for the entire week on the demanding layout, he found deep rough with his second shot on the 16th hole and ended up making a double bogey - although he had an unusual excuse for the mishap.

“16 came out of nowhere,” he explained after the round. “So, essentially, I went in the toilet. The door was locked. It took me a minute to realise there wasn't somebody in there, another while to get the door open. I had, as we are on the Champions Tour, I had the longest pee ever. And then I kind of rushed down the fairway and hit my shot.

“The second shot was kind of innocuous because the pin was so tight I was just playing 15 feet left of it and to be honest, yeah, I just, I wasn't -- I do that sometimes, I just wasn't focused, I wasn't into it and I hit a bad shot in the hazard.

“So when you get over 50, it sometimes takes a long time to have a pee. And that's my excuse. That's got to be original, I would assume.”

Harrington, looking for a second major championship in senior golf, is one shot clear of Steve Stricker, who shot a third-round of 64 to put the pressure on the Dubliner.

The pair will also play in the final round with Stewart Cink, who made a hole-in-one en route to a third-round 67 to finish three shots behind Harrington.

Cink is making his senior tour debut this week and found the bottom of the cup on the 13th hole in Saturday's round.

Darren Clarke is in a tie for fourth place after a third successive 69 left him on nine-under-par for the tournament.

All of the players are chasing a $630,000 first prize at what is the new home of PGA America.

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