Former Mayo GAA player moves into top five blind golf rankings

A former Mayo GAA player is toasting the latest in his stunning rise in the world of blind golf, having moved into the top five of the world blind golf rankings in recent days.

Eddie Maguire, a Blacksod native, was among the 80 participants taking part in the World Blind Golf Championships in Canada two weeks ago.

Maguire has more achievements than you could shake a stick at, and played inter-county football for Mayo, Carlow, New York, and Meath before losing his sight in 1979 due to an incident where he was struck by a steel door in the middle of a storm.

During the event on the courses of Toronto, the esteemed golfer was in the mix going into the final day of action, coming into the last round in joint-second place.

However, he finished fifth at the close of business. It was still a positive competition for MaGuire in terms of his world ranking, as he returned to this side of the Atlantic with a top-five ranking firmly in his back pocket.

The former inter-county star has had plenty of success since turning his hand to blind golf. His 2021 British Open win at Galgorm Golf Club in Ballymena was the first on the list, swiftly followed by a Scandinavian Open win in Sollentuna and victory in Costa Ballena at the Spanish Open.

Maguire’s success is far from being confined to sporting spheres. He is known in education circles for his work on the ‘Less Stress, More Success’ study books for Leaving and Junior Certificate students, while he has also written songs for the likes of country music stars Mike Denver and Philomena Begley.