Louise Duncan recovers from being 'properly frazzled' to progress to LET Q-School final

Louise Duncan, pictured during the AIG Women's Open at Muirfield in August, is through to the final of the LET Q-School at La Manga in Spain. Picture: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images.

Louise Duncan is heading into the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School Final with a spring in her step after pulling off an incredible fightback in the pre-qualifier at La Manga in Spain.

The West Kilbride woman was staring an early exit in the face in her first card bid since turning professional earlier this year after getting off to a nightmare start on Saturday.

Playing the South Course in her opening circuit, Duncan was eight-over-par through just six holes, turned in 45 and eventually signed for a 10-over 83.

That left her tied for 146th in a 156-strong field and the 2021 R&A Women’s Amateur champion was still outside the top 100 at the halfway stage after adding a three-over 74 on the North Course.

Needing to be in the top 62 and ties to progress, she was six shots outside the cut-off mark at that point, but, with mentor Dean Robertson on the bag, Duncan showed her class in the final two rounds.

She climbed to joint-78th following the third circuit on the back of a three-under 70 on the South Course before signing off with a mighty impressive four-under 67 over the North Course.

“Yeah, over the moon,” Duncan, who ended up in a tie for 31st on six-over, told The Scotsman of clearing her first hurdle and doing so with four shots to spare in the end.

“After the first two rounds, I wasn’t feeling too confident about making it through to the final, but we got the head down and started to play some seriously good golf.

“It was pretty steady in the last two rounds, to be honest, as there’s still a few shots out there, so I am definitely looking forward to next week.”

The 22-year-old had underlined her talent by shining as an amateur in the 2021 AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie before giving another excellent account of herself in that event at Muirfield in August in just her second start as a professional.

She’d had little competitive action since then but, after preparing thoroughly and having Robertson at her side in Spain, her hopes of playing on the LET season could easily have been killed off after her start in Murcia.

“I was properly frazzled after that first round,” admitted Duncan. “The first eight holes done me in an absolute belter and I was pretty fried after the opening two rounds. But I managed to turn things around somehow. I just had a better mindset and got the head down, really.

“After the rocky start, it was about trying to stay positive and Dean is pretty decent when it comes to that. He knows what he’s doing.”

Despite taking a triple-bogey 7 at her final hole, Tara Mactaggart, who hails from Hawick but is now based in East Lothian, also progressed to the final, which starts on Saturday and is a five-round affair.

“I’ve got a day off tomorrow then I’ll maybe play a couple of nine holes on Thursday and Friday to try and iron out the things that weren’t as good as they could be,” said Duncan. “If there was any rust, it’s definitely off now and to have four rounds under my belt and two really good ones to end with is really huge going into next week.”