It's a momentous time in the Maguire household as twin golfers Leona and Lisa turn professional.
Both will compete in this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey and ahead of that, Leona Maguire joined Joe on Off The Ball to discuss her own rise and the future.
The 23 year old had a superb amateur career that saw her own the all-time World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) record for most weeks ranked No. 1 (135).
"I think I've ticked all the boxes. I've achieved pretty much everything that I set out to in the amateur game and that way I can sort of leave it on my terms and make that jump knowing that I've sort of had all that experience behind me and I'm excited for the future," she said.
The 2016 Olympian attended Duke University in North Carolina, studying Psychology, Business and Accounting and told Joe that heading to the USA in order to continue her studies was a fruitful decision.
"I was fortunate to get my degree and also play golf at a very high level at the same time and going to the States to college was one of the best decisions I've ever made because it's prepared me in a great way for the professional game, it's also helped me get great sponsors on board in KPMG and Allianz and all of that as well," said the Cavan native, citing the facilities and weather among the reasons she chose Duke.
"So it's been an incredible four years and I'm excited now for the future."
Explaining her decision not to rush into the pro ranks and to see out her four years at Duke, she pointed out that with both parents being teachers, they "stressed the importance of education" to her and "to get my education was something very important to me".
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