The Cavan native finished 13th at the British Open last weekend in the final tournament before the Solheim Cup qualification window closed.

Maguire has had a strong 2021 season that has seen her break into the top 50 in the world after two second-place finishes and six top-15 finishes in a row in LPGA tournaments.

The 26-year-old reacted to the news on Twitter: “The least Monday Monday of the year! 14year old me had a big dream and it’s been quite the journey since that ‘09 JR Solheim cup but today we made history!! So excited to represent @SolheimCupEuro.”

Maguire is a two-time Olympic golfer and recently represented Team Ireland at Tokyo 2020 alongside Stephanie Meadow.

The former number one amateur golfer in the world finished the Olympics tied-23rd with five other golfers.

Captain Matthews was full of praise for Maguire after selecting her as a wildcard.

“Leona has had a fantastic year this year,” she said. “Obviously she was world number one amateur for a couple of years and it’s maybe just taken her two or three years longer than perhaps others to settle I think as a pro.

“I think she’s got that real grittiness. I think she’s a really good match player, has a great record from the Curtis Cup and played well in the match play [event] in Vegas. I think she’ll be a solid, one of these never-give-up type players.

“It’s the first Irish player, the first Finnish player [Castren]. I think it’s great to see other players from different countries getting on the side.”

The 2021 Solheim Cup takes place at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio from Tuesday, August 31st to Monday, September 6th.

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Recently confirmed as the host nation, Spain is set to stage the prestigious international women’s professional golf team event for the first time in the tournament’s history but the dates mark another significant milestone – becoming the first European hosted Solheim Cup to be played in such close proximity to The Ryder Cup, which heads to Italy the following week.

Usually scheduled in alternate years, global sports fans will now be treated to a two-week festival of match play golf between Europe and the United States as a result of the recent 2020 Ryder Cup postponement.

Spain follows Scotland as the most recent destination to host the memorable team competition on European soil in 2019 with the 2023 edition including three days of build-up play from Tuesday September 19 – Thursday September 21 as well as the 12^th PING Junior Solheim Cup, which sees stars of the future go head-to-head over two days of competition.

Speaking about the news, Ladies European Tour CEO, Alexandra Armas, said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the dates for the upcoming 2023 Solheim Cup and we are excited to have the opportunity to be part of a two-week festival of golf. The Solheim Cup is truly one of the most dramatic and interesting golf events on the global sporting calendar and it has the ability to transcend golf to new audiences and, if the 2023 edition is anything like 2019, fans will be left wanting more and they will be lucky enough go straight onto The Ryder Cup in Italy where the men’s version of Team Europe and Team USA will go head-to-head.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Match play golf between Europe and the USA brings a totally unique perspective and atmosphere to our sport and it is tremendous for fans in Europe that our continent will play host to The Solheim Cup and The Ryder Cup in consecutive weeks in 2023.

“The fact it is also a first for both hosting nations – Spain and Italy – simply adds to the anticipation and if we can recreate the excitement generated at Le Golf National in 2018 and at Gleneagles in 2019, the whole world of golf will be in for a truly fabulous fortnight.”

Spanish golfers have played an integral part of the tournament since the inaugural event was held in 1990, with as many as seven players representing Team Europe over the years – with only Sweden and England contributing more players to previous Solheim Cups.

More recently, home favourite Carlota Ciganda has participated in the last four consecutive contests while Costa del Sol star Azahara Munoz also has four appearances to her name since making her debut in 2011.

Carlota Ciganda, who is Spain’s highest ranked player on the Rolex Rankings at No. 13, said: “I can’t believe I might finally have a chance to play The Solheim Cup in Spain in front of my home fans. It is no secret that the event is one of my favourites and I love the energy that I get from the crowd when I am competing in it. it is huge news that it will be the week before The Ryder Cup as I love watching it on TV, and it will be even more special supporting Team Europe if I know that we’ve just brought the trophy home the week before.”

Major winner and two-time Solheim Cup player, Georgia Hall, added: “I love The Solheim Cup and last year’s event was one of my career highlights so it is nice to get the dates in your diary to look forward to but there’s still a lot of golf to be played between now and then so I don’t want to get ahead of myself and think that I will definitely make the team. I have grown up watching the excitement of The Ryder Cup and I think the chance for our event to be played so close to it will give us an opportunity to show everyone how similar they are and hopefully attract a few new fans.”

The upcoming 2021 Solheim Cup will be staged in Toledo, Ohio, 4^th-6^th September, with Team USA aiming to reclaim the trophy from Team Europe, who captured the 2019 edition with a spectacular putt on the last green in the final match of the singles.

The Solheim Cup was first staged in Florida in 1990 and named after club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was the driving force behind its inception. The Solheim Cup is contested between two teams of 12 players over three days. It follows the same format as The Ryder Cup, with 28 matches – eight foursomes and eight fourballs over the first two days and 12 singles on the final day.

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