Scottish golfers set for Morocco marathon in LET card battle

Scottish card hopefuls in next month’s Ladies European Tour Qualifying School are all set to face a marathon eight rounds in Morocco with the exception of possibly one player.

Louise Duncan is among the Scottish players heading to Morocco for the LET’s Lalla Aicha Qualifying School | Mark Runnacles/LET

The 54-hole first stage in the annual card battle will be played over four courses on 10-12 December before a five-round final takes place on 16-20 December.

Louise Duncan is among the Scottish players heading to Morocco for the LET’s Lalla Aicha Qualifying School | Mark Runnacles/LET

As things stand, Kylie Henry is the only player set to fly the Saltire on this occasion who will go straight into the field for the final stage at Royal Golf Marrakech and Al Maaden Golf Marrakech.

The 38-year-old, who won the Dimension Data Ladies’ Pro-Am in South Africa earlier this year, currently sits 131st in the LET Order of Merit. The top 135 and ties will be exempt into the final stage, though Henry faces a sweat due to the fact she’s not secured a spot in this week’s season-ending Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de Espana presented by OYSHO.

In what has been a disappointing season for Scots on the circuit, Laura Beveridge sits 140th on the points list, which means she will be involved in one of those pre-qualifiers.

For Beveridge, it will be a test at Golf Club Rotana, where the Kippie Lodge-attached player is set to be joined by her sister-in-law Kimberley Beveridge. Three other Scots - Penelope Brown, Hannah McCook and Jane Turner - will also set out on their journeys there.

Kirsty Mitchell is the sole Scot teeing up at Noria while Gabrielle Macdonald and Lorna McClymont, who has entered as an amateur, are both set to be among the hopefuls at Samanah Golf.

Palm Golf Ourika is the fourth pre-qualifying venue and recent LET card holder Michele Thomson will be joined in trying to clear the first hurdle there by both Louise Duncan and Taylor White.

The number of players progressing from each of the pre-qualifiers will not be determined until the week of the event while the top 20 and ties in the final stage will secure LET cards for the 2025 campaign.

Meanwhile, Henry and Thomson are both in the field for this week’s ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open, which is taking place alongside the men’s equivalent in Melbourne.

Richie Ramsay and David Law are also flying the Saltire at Kingston Heath Golf Club and The Victoria Golf Club in the mixed gender tournament albeit for separate titles.

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann is the defending men’s champion, having triumphed in a play-off over Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino in Sydney 12 months ago. “It was my first time last year for the Australian Open and the Australian PGA and I really loved it,” said Niemann, who is teeing it up feeling refreshed from his honeymoon.

In the second of two DP World Tour events being co-sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, home player Elvis Smylie is hoping for the same outcome as last week’s BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane.

“Playing alongside the women this week will be a great change,” said the 24-year-old, who, with his card secured, is now looking forward to embarking on his DP World Tour career. “Min Woo and Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Cam Smith – very rarely you get a chance to play alongside all of those players on the same course in the same week. Excited for that and it’s going to be a great week.”

Three spots in next year’s 153rd Open are up for grabs, with LIV Golf player Niemann one of only three players in the field currently exempt for Royal Portrush, the others being 2022 winner Cameron Smith and England’s Jordan Smith.