HEATHER MACRAE CLOSING IN ON LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR DREAM

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview
Dunblane's Heather MacRae, the Paul Lawrie Scottish Ladies Open Tour champion, is one tournament away from leapfrogging over the Qualifying School process and gaining automatic promotion to the Ladies European Tour.
The Gleneagles Hotel staff professional let a two-stroke overnight lead slip through her fingers in the Costa Blanca Ladies Open earlier this week but joint ninth place pushed her up to fifth place on the LET Access Series Order of Merit table.
The top five after next week's Turkish Ladies Open over 54 holes at the National Golf Club, Antalaya will gain playing rights on the 2014 Ladies European Tour.
Several players are close behind MacRae, who was British women's open amateur stroke-play champion at Nairn in 2006 before she turned professional, so she is by no means home and dry as far as promotion is concerned. She has to perform well enough in Turkey to maintain fifth place if not improve on it.
Heather commented before she flew to Turkey with her boyfriend and Tartan Tour player Chris Kelly (Cawder) today (Thursday):
"It was a crazy final day for me in the Costa Blanca Ladies Open but still lots of positives to take. I am heading out to Turkey to be with Chris Kelly while he plays in the PGA play-offs and get a few extra days' practice myself in better conditions hopefully than I would get at home.
"Getting a full card on the Ladies European Tour would mean so much to me, I have been chasing this dream for a long long time but I'm not there yet. I'm just trying to stay in the present as I have been able to do the last couple of months. I have been working so hard to improve my game for years and hopefully this time things will go my way and I can get the job done."
Heather is sponsored by Stewart Spence, the owner of The Marcliffe at Pitfodels Hotel, Aberdeen.

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