Ireland’s Aine Donegan sits in a share of fourth place after the first two days of action at the 2026 PIF London Championship.
Donegan opened with a 70 (-3) on day one at Centurion Club before getting off to a hot start on day two with back-to-back birdies on holes three and four before rolling in three birdies on the trot on holes six to eight.
The Ladies European Tour (LET) rookie dropped a shot at the ninth but bounced back with another birdie on 13, she made bogeys on 14 and 16 but finished with a birdie on 17 to seal her round of 69 (-4).
“I got in Tuesday, I had one of my best friends get married on Monday, so I couldn’t miss that,” she said. “I flew in early Tuesday and played 18 and nine on Wednesday and then the last two days have been good.
“They’ve been far from perfect. I finally have the putter rolling which has been nice. It’s been a while since it’s been hot, so I’ve worked really hard the last month and a half. I had a pretty quiet July, so it’s nice to see some hard work being rewarded.
“I’ve worked with my coaches a lot on my putting, it’s let me down the last couple of months. It was nice. I went and saw a new putting coach as well which was nice. It’s been great and I’m looking forward to the next few days. I also have to give Harry [Ewing] a shoutout on the bag. It’s out first week together and it’s working pretty well so far.
“I changed my putter as well. It’s only the second tournament playing with that. It’s been great and I worked really hard in July. I’ve had so much time. I said I’m going to give my all this second half of the season. The first half didn’t go terribly but it didn’t go as well as I would’ve wanted it to. I’m just delighted with two under-par rounds; it’s been a while since that happened.”
Donegan had a stellar amateur career including winning the Curtis Cup and turned professional in 2025.
The 24-year-old then earned her full LET playing rights by finishing in a share of fifth place at Q-School in December.
This is the Irishwoman’s 13th start of the 2026 season and she has been enjoying life as a professional and on Tour.
She continued: “It’s been great. A lot of people at home ask me how is it? Is it tough? I always ask how their work life is going. There are ups and downs to every job. I’ve already been to three continents, so the travel has been great.
“We’ve so many good friends already out here and it’s really nice to have a good Irish contingent. I feel like I’ve grown up playing golf with a lot of the girls out here from all around Europe especially and then in college and the United States.
“I’ve been very fortunate that I have a lot of support from home which has been great. If it’s a five-foot putt, it’s just a five-foot putt. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a birdie or for £10k. Not getting too wrapped up in it [is important] and that’s what Harry and I have done really well these first two days is stick to our processes and we’ll do the same again tomorrow and Sunday. I’m just looking forward to the weekend, obviously the weather is great.
“It’s much easier said than done but we go out tomorrow with the same process and sleep well tonight, eat well tonight. There’s still plenty of golf. We’re literally just halfway, so I’m not getting ahead of myself. It’s been great so far.”
Donegan has Harry Ewing on her bag this week and the Irish duo have been strategic around Centurion Club.
She added: “Me and Harry have picked really good targets, we’ve worked brilliant together. I’m delighted to have him on the bag this week and he’s kept me calm and I just feel like we’re bouncing off each other. He’s not afraid to put me back in gear if I’m getting ahead of myself or there’s certain shots, he’ll say this is not worth going for or we can get up-and-down another way.
“With the last five holes today, we just said let’s try and hit fairways and greens and give ourselves a chance on most holes and that’s what I’ve been doing. Thankfully my putter has been helping me out on the greens, it’s been great.”
Follow all the action throughout on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #PIFLondonChampionship.
