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Leona Maguire is hoping to thrill "the best fans in the world" at the K Club and harness the power of partisan support in her quest to win the KPMG Women's Irish Open. The Cavan woman is about to compete at the tournament for the ninth time, before linking up with Team Europe for her fourth appearance at the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands in three weeks' time. Captain Anna Nordqvist named Maguire as one of her four wildcard picks. She's had an up-and-down season having changed her swing coach. The 31-year-old missed the cut at the Women's AIG Open, however she has also enjoyed three top-10 finishes, and is quietly confident the surroundings in Co Kildare will prove an inspiration. In 2006, when Europe beat the USA to win the men's Ryder Club at the K Club, Leona and twin sister Lisa were there as prodigiously talented 11-year-olds, soaking up the atmosphere and posing for pictures with the stars. They were chosen to carry out the trophy to the winning team at the closing ceremony. "It's held a special place in my heart since the 2006 Ryder Cup, getting to bring that up at the closing ceremony with my sister Lisa," Maguire told RTÉ Sport. "We've seen the lads here quite a few times. I would have come with dad here a long time ago for the European Open and then obviously the Ryder Cup and Irish Open. It's nice for us to be here at a world-class venue and I'm looking forward to a great week. "It's great for the LET and the Irish Open to be on these world-class venues and really showcasing it properly like this, and the talents of all the girls here." Maguire conceded that her form has been a patchy. She changed her swing coach earlier this year, linking up with Sean Foley and parting ways with Shane O'Grady who she'd worked with for years. "Yeah, it's been a little bit inconsistent," she said. "There's been some ups and downs. Obviously, the high points have been some really great golf and then (it's) a little bit less consistent than I would have liked. But I suppose that's golf. "I'm just trying to improve all the time, looking forward to this week, trying to play well and then the Solheim Cup in a couple of weeks time. "You have to have a level of resilience and a perspective as well. I'm very lucky to get to do what I do and working on things all the time, all the time, trying to improve. Sometimes these things take time. "You don't just snap your fingers and it's better all of a sudden. There's a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes. I feel like I'm on the right track. It just needs a little bit more time and a little bit more patience and it'll all come together. "That's sport. That's life. I'm in a very fortunate position to be to be happy and healthy and get to do what I love every day." "It's fantastic to have so much support. I've been very fortunate throughout my career to have that." There's a total of 16 Irish players in the field but Maguire is the player most will believe has the best chance of delivering a home triumph. That expectation brings pressure, but it's something she has learned to use as a positive force. "I think more and more every year I've gotten a bit more used to it," Maguire added. "It was a little overwhelming maybe the first couple of years. Irish fans are the best in the world. It's fantastic to have so much support. I've been very fortunate throughout my career to have that. Every year the crowd seems to grow more and more and more. And there's a lot of Irish in the field this week as well. "There's a lot of people to cheer on. Hopefully the crowds come out in full force. I don't get to play in front of home fans very often, so you definitely have to soak it up while you can. You want to try and play as well as you can to give people something to cheer about." As for the event itself, Maguire said it's on an upward curve despite facing competition in a busy schedule: "(The tournament) has grown from strength to strength every year. The schedule needs a little bit of work still. We're going up against a $4.5m event in Boston this week in the LPGA. It would have been nice to get a few bigger stars here this week from the LPGA but the schedule didn't allow that. "You're playing for 10% of the money this week. And money's not everything. I know KPMG are working really hard to build a purse and put on a great event for the girls in the LET here. "There's a lot of factors there. But every year you're trying to make it that bit better and that bit better. Hopefully it becomes very much a regular fixture on the LET calendar and we'll just keep trying to grow it and grow it every year." Watch the KPMG Women's Irish Open from Thursday to Sunday at 2pm each day on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player