Vikki Laing ready for battle to save her Tour status

LESS than two years after joining forces with Catriona Matthew in the Nations Cup as Scotland’s two top-ranked players, Vikki Laing will need to call on all her experience this week to retain her European Tour card for next season.

After slipping 62 spots to 121st on this year’s money list, the Musselburgh woman is among five Scots taking part in the final stage of the Qualifying School and faces stiff competition in the battle for cards in Morocco from some of the game’s rising stars.

Amy Boulden, Holly Clyburn and Kelly Tidy, all members of this year’s winning Curtis Cup team at Nairn, are also in the line-up, which has has been split into two fields in Marrakech, one starting at Al Maaden and the other at Amelkis.

Joining Laing today at Amelkis is Heather MacRae, the ever-improving Gleneagles Hotel player who successfully negotiated her pre-qualifying test at the same two venues last week with something to spare.

Nairn Dunbar’s Kelsey MacDonald did likewise and she starts out at Al Maaden along with two of her compatriots, Pamela Feggans and Katy 
McNicoll. “I was very happy with my golf last week and now I will have to produce the same again this week,” said MacDonald, who has retained her amateur status until she finds out where she stands at the end of the process.

Meanwhile, Kingsbarns Golf Links has been selected to host the Final Qualifying for the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open on Monday 29 July. The Championship will be played for the 
second time over the Old Course, St Andrews, on 1-4 August.