Scottish trio progress to LET Qualifying School final in Morocco

Hannah Darling shook off a potential early disaster in the closing round to join fellow Scots Louise Duncan and Gabrielle Macdonald in progressing to the Final Stage of the Ladies European Tour Lalla Aicha Qualifying School in Morocco.

Darling, who turned professional earlier this year, opened with rounds of 72 and 71 in her pre-qualifier at Palm Golf Ourika to sit handily-placed with a circuit to go in the battle to finish in the top 20 and ties.

The Broomieknowe player then bolstered her position by making a birdie at the par-3 second in the final round only to have the wind taken out of her sails by a triple-bogey 8 at the fourth.

Hannah Darling was delighted to come through her LET Qualidying School pre-qaulifier in Morocco | Modest Golf

That left her in a perilous position, especially after she’d fallen at the first hurdle in the LPGA’s Q Series, and a bogey at the 12th saw her slip to two over.

It was job done, though, for the three-time Curtis Cup player thanks to a classy finish in the shape of birdies at the 15th, 17th and 18th as she signed for a par-72 to finish sixth on one under.

It was ‘pretty stressful’

“Pretty stressful, to be honest,” admitted Darling of the test. “We all want to get through and 20 is a relatively small number but, yeah, I am very happy and really happy where my game has been the last three days.

“Bit of a tough hole on the par-5 fourth. But I knew I was in a good spot and I knew that if I let it get to me mentally it was going to hurt me. But I just said ‘right, it’s done’ and I was proud of how I let the birdies come to me on the last couple of holes. I didn’t try to force it.”

In progressing to next week’s Final Stage, Darling has secured Access Series status for 2026 but her goal is to be heading home for Christmas with a card for the LET Tour in her pocket.

“We obviously came here to get LET status, but it is something and that’s a nice feeling. I can bank that and I’m now looking forward to next week and playing more golf,” she said.

Asked if she needed to work on anything for the five-round final at Royal Golf Marrakech and Al Maaden Golf Marrakech, Darling replied: “Not really. Just keep doing the same sort of stuff. I’ll maybe keep it chilled tomorrow and go into the markets in Marrakech and then we’ll be back at it next week.”

Gabrielle Macdonald recovered from an opening 78 to pass her pre-qualifying test in Morocco | LET

It was also mission accomplished for Duncan and Macdonald at Fairmont Royal Palm Golf & Country Club and Noria Golf Club respectively.

Maintaining her return to form in the final few events of last season’s Access Series, Duncan followed an opening 71 with a brace of 73s to finish joint-12th in her event.

Five Scots will be in field for final

Macdonald, meanwhile, bounced back from a first-round 78 to card back-to-back 72s to finish in a share of sixth spot.

The trio will join Lorna McClymont and Laura Beveridge, both of whom were exempt from pre-qualifying, in flying the Saltire in the final, which starts on Tuesday.

As has been the case for the past two years, players will alternate between each course over the first four rounds before the the fifth and final round being staged at Al Maaden Golf Marrakech