By Everett Fell
Passionate athletes work around the clock to improve their game, whether they compete on the gridiron or in the boxing ring or, in the case of Martin, on the golf course. Maguire, an 18-year-old resident of Bayside, first discovered his love for golf at the age of 14 and since has pushed himself to excel and dominate at the sport.
During his days at St. Andrew Avellino grammar school, Maguire devoted most of his free time to playing basketball. He occasionally went to the driving range but never thought about taking up the sport until he saw a legend in the making.
In 1997 Maguire caught a glimpse of Tiger Woods at the Winged Foot Golf Course in Westchester. Maguire passed up life on the courts for life on the links.
“I saw Tiger and I thought I could pursue this and get really good,” Maguire said.
In his first round of golf, Maguire shot a 90 at the Clearview Golf Course.
“The golfers at the course told me I shot a good round for my first time, but I knew I could do better,” Maguire said. “So my parents gave me golf lessons at the end of the eighth grade,” he said.
Maguire's journey into golf connected him with his ancestry.
He was born in County Wicklow, Ireland and moved to the States at age 4. He still returns to Ireland every summer to stay with relatives and compete on the windy courses of his homeland.
“Golf is huge in Ireland,” Maguire said. “It's competitive, but it's a lot tougher in the United States.”
By high school, Maguire started shooting in the low 80s and high 70s, earning him a spot on Archbishop Molloy's golf team as a freshman.
Maguire came into his own as an upperclassman, practicing on the course everyday and starting to win tournaments.
“When I was a freshman I saw guys on the team shoot 36 for nine holes and I thought 'wow' because I was only shooting 38,” he said. “But by my junior and senior years I was shooting 34 for nine holes.”
As the best golfer on one of the best teams in the city, Maguire became a marked man. Gaining respect from his peers and teammates, Maguire was named captain of the team in his senior year. He took the job seriously, making sure to keep the team as close as possible.
“If there were problems, people came to me,” Maguire said. “If someone was slacking off, I would tell them, 'You're hurting your team as well as yourself.'”
Maguire's team leadership stems from his own disciplined work ethic.
“I worked really hard to get where I am right now, and I don't want to see anyone messing up when they have the potential to do so well,” he said.
Maguire attributes his success to all the hours of practice on the course. His work paid off as he was ranked No. 2 in the city in his senior year.
Maguire also went to two city championships at Molloy. Scouts from all over the country took notice of this up-and-coming Celtic star.
Many Division I schools recruited including St. John's, Hofstra, Tulane and Pepperdine.
But instead of being another name on a top golf team or traveling across the country, Maguire chose to stay close to home and go to Division III Manhattanville College.
“Manhattanville's proximity to the city is amazing, and the golf courses in this area are great,” he said.
Before his collegiate career kicked off, Maguire went on the Plantations Junior Golf Tour in 2001 and 2002 and won three tournaments on the tour. Maguire also placed third among the 150-player field at the New York State Junior tournament in August 2002 and was an alternate for the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2002.
Maguire immediately became Manhattanville's leader during his freshman year. He displayed a consistency all season, which allowed him to be ranked in the top 60 golfers in all of Division III.
His 76.00 scoring average for 14 rounds is a Manhattanville record.
“It was tough in (the) beginning because I never saw golf courses before and the juniors and seniors had been playing on them for three years,” Maguire said. “But I did my best every time and got help from teammates who were familiar with golf courses.”
Maguire shot an 80 and a 73 at the ECAC Championship, earning him third place among a 94-player field. Maguire was named team MVP and he led the Valiants to the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Regional.
Maguire plans on remaining at Manhattanville for one more year. And with many Division I schools scouting him, Maguire expects to go to a big-time golf school for his junior year of college, possibly the University of North Carolina.
Maguire also envisions the golf course in his future as a businessman. The business administrative major makes as many connections as possible to prepare for his future, even if he never makes the PGA tour.
“Lots of business deals are done on the golf course,” Maguire said. “I'm going to be an amateur golfer the rest of my life.”
