Walsh recovers well after slow start

Kildare's Lauren Walsh claimed three birdies on the Back Nine as she made a good recovery after carding three bogeys on the Front Nine to finish on a two over par round of 75 after Round 1 of the 2025 KPMG Ladies Irish Open at Carton House, Fairmont, Maynooth on Thursday.

Walsh, one of the early starters, began her round on the Tenth Hole and made a nervy start on the course where she is Touring Professional but the Kill native was pleased with the recovery as she told The Kildare Nationalist immediately after she finished her first round.

“I'm happy with the bounce back on the Back Nine. It was nice to finish with two birdies to kind of savour the day a little bit. So, yeah, I’m happy with how I handled myself. I got off to a bit of a nervous start but I made a good birdie on one, making the turn. I knew I'd be able to give myself some chances and hoped that one or two putts would drop, she enthused.

Walsh plans to play her normal game on Day 2 on Friday rather than attack to course.

“I think I’ll just play my normal game and if I can keep hitting my irons nicely, keep giving myself some birdie chances that's all I can ask for,” she told us.

The Kill native is not feeling under any extra pressure despite the fact that she is playing in her home county and on the course where she is the Touring Professional. “You know, I try to view it as I have all these extra supporters around this week, which is really, really cool. It's great to have so many people out watching even today. You know, making a birdie on the last was really, really cool to have a lot of people there cheering it on,” she explained. 

“Honestly, it's just great to have so many people out here. You know, Irish people really get behind their athletes, which is really, really special. So, it's a nice thing to be part of. They really do give off some energy,” the Kildare golfer added.

Lauren Walsh, who will be 25 in September, turned professional in 2023 and joined the Ladies European Tour a year later, is happy with her progress over the last two years. 

“Yeah, absolutely things have been trending so far and I'm just enjoying myself out here. It's been a great time out on the LET so I can’t complain,” she concluded.

Another golfer with Kildare connections, Cavan native, Leona Maguire, who is the Tour Professional at The K Club, included three birdies and two bogeys in her round of 72 to finish one under for the day.

The KPMG Ladies Irish Open continues on the O’Meara Course at Carton House, Fairmont, Maynooth until Sunday. A record 16 Irish golfers have been included in this year’s event.