VIBRANT VIKKI LEADS SCOTS IN MOROCCO

By COLIN FARQUHARSON  Colin@scottishgolfview.com Musselburgh's Vikki Laing shot her second sub-par round in three days at the Final Qualifying School at Marrakech, Morocco to head the five Scots fighting for playing rights on next year's Ladies European Tour. Laing  (PICTURED), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), playing as an amateur, and Heather MacRae (Gleneagles) need to maintain their overnight positions in the field of 140 to figure among the leading 60 and ties after Sunday's fifth round, who will contest the fifth and final day on Monday at the end of which the top 30 and ties will gain the coveted LET players' cards. In Morocco, Laing has looked more like the player who dominated Scottish girls golf in the late 1990s and then won as a pro on the American Futures Tour than she has done in the past season or two on the Ladies European Tour. Which is why she is back at school trying to gain pass marks. Laing's five-under-par 67 at the Al Maaden course followed socres of 69 and 73 and put her in joint 15th place on seven-under 209, the same mark as Curtis Cup 16-year-old Charley Hull (Woburn), who is playing as an amateur and had a 70 over the Amelkis course today. Stirling student Kelsey MacDonald shot a one-under 71 at Al Maaden and is sharing 44th place on two-under 214. Heather MacRae steadied the ship after her Friday round of 76 had followed a brilliant opening round of 68. The Dunblane player, who regularly takes on the men in Tartan Tour events, had 71 for 215 and is joint 53rd. With only the leading 60 and ties to go forward after the next round, Heather is walking the qualifying tightrope. The projected figure to survive the Sunday cut is one-under-par 287 for 72 holes. Pamela Feggans from Patna, Ayrshire put herself under big pressure with a 75 - her worst round of the three days - and has slipped down to joint 94th on 217. Somehow or other she has to claw herself back into the top 60 over her next 18 holes. Carnoustie's Katy McNicoll looks as if she will be continuing on the Ladies European Tour developmental tour instead of gaining promotion to the bigger league. She had a 75 for 221 and is currently sharing 107th place. The biggest name among those likely to miss the first cut is Curtis Cup star and English amateur champion Kelly Tidy from Lancashire. She has already turned pro but has gone right off form the week she really needed to hit the high notes. With miserable scores of 78, 72 and 76 she is joint 130th on 226. Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn has shot to the front on 14-under-par 202 - one shot ahead of Lancashire amateur Emily Taylor (Royal Lytham) - with a brilliant eight-under-par 64 at Amelkis. LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR FINAL QUALIFYING SCHOOL Marrakech, Morocco. LEADING THIRD-ROUND SCORES Par 216 (3x72) 202 Ariya Jutanugarn (Thai) 68 70 64 203 Emily Taylor (Eng) (am) 69 66 68 205 Bonitta Bredenhann (SAf) (am) 71 70 64, Virginia Espejo (Spa) 68 66 71 206 Mallory Fraiche (Us) 68 72 66, Nikki Campbell (Aus) 66 71 69, Sarah King (Aus) 71 65 70 SELECTED SCORES 209 Vikki Laing (Sco) 69 73 67, Charley Hull (Eng0 (am) 69 70 70 (T15) 210 Charlotte Ellis (Eng) 73 67 70, Holly Clyburn (Eng) 70 70 70 (T20). 211 Eleanor Givens (Eng) 73 67 71 (T25). 213 Cheyenne Woods (US) 71 68 74 (T36) 214 Kelsey MacDonald (Sco) (am) 71 72 71 (T44) 215 Heather MacRae (Sco) 68 76 71 PROJECTED CUT-OFF POINT (one under par) AFTER FIFTH ROUND TO QUALIFY FOR FINAL ROUND 216 Amy Boulden (Wal) (am) 72 72 72, Eleanor Pilgrim (Wal) 74 73 69, Danielle McVeigh (Ire) 74 66 76 (T61) 217 Pamela Feggans (Sco) 72 70 75 (T94) 218 Lucy Davies (Eng) 72 70 76 (T85) 219 Charlotte Wild (Eng) 73 73 73, Kirsty S Taylor (Eng) 80 67 72, Hannah Ralph (Eng) 70 72 77 (T91). 221 Kiran Matharu (Eng) 74 71 76, Katy McNicoll (Sco) 75 71 75 (T107). 222 Kym Larratt (Eng) 76 71 75 (T116) 223 Charlie Douglass (Eng) 74 74 75 (T120) 226 Kelly Tidy (Eng) 78 72 76, Rhian Wyn Thomas (Wal) 77 75 74 (T130). 231 Lucy Williams (Eng) 80 71 80. ens