Old friends Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow on the brink of making history at Women's PGA Championship

Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow go back. Way back.

Just how long have the Irish golfers known one another?

"I'll put it this way," Meadow said with a laugh. "I knew her when she was reading 'Harry Potter' books, so that was a long time ago."

Maguire and Meadow competed against one another in junior golf. They played on the same Curtis Cup team in 2012. They've roomed together. Maguire attended Meadow's wedding earlier this year.

And today, they'll tee off in the final threesome at a major championship.

Maguire, 28, from Cavan, leads the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at seven under par.

Meadow, 31, who hails from Jordanstown in Antrim and holds membership at the famed Royal Portrush, climbed to third place on Saturday at five under.

Along with second-place Jenny Shin of South Korea (six under), they'll tee off at Baltusrol Golf Club, New Jersey at 3.38pm Irish time, either of them capable of becoming the first Irishwoman to win a major title.

We need your consent to load this YouTube content We use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences

"I can't think of anything much better for Irish women's golf, which is incredible," Meadow said.

Maguire is a former No. 1 amateur in the world who is coming off her second LPGA victory last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Meadow, on the other hand, is No. 151 in the world rankings and has won a European event in Northern Ireland but never on the LPGA.

But Meadow had one of Saturday's best rounds - five birdies and a single bogey coming together for a 67. She led the field in total putts, needing just 26 over 18 holes.

"We've been good friends