TURKISH HEARTBREAK FOR HEATHER MACRAE AS SHE MISSES OUT ON PROMOTION TO LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
The final event of the season on the Ladies European Tour's developmental circuit, LETAS, was a heart-breaker for Dunblane's Heather MacRae.
Needing only to maintain her fifth position in the tour's Order of Merit at the conclusion of the Mineks Ladies Classic at National Golf Club, Antalya in southern Turkey to gain automatic promotion to the 2014 Ladies European Tour, Heather (pictured) played well below her capabilities with a final round of 80.
That gave her joint 10th place and dropped her to sixth place in the Order of Merit.
Only the first five were allowed to bypass the Qualifying School in Morocco next month and go straight on to the Big League. MacRae finished only 42pt or 42 euros behind the player who gained the last of the five places.
Prior to the tournament, MacRae, a 30-year-old member of the Gleneagles Hotel professional golf staff and winner of the 1995 British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Nairn before she turned professional, said that to play on the Ladies European Tour was the dream that kept her going over years of playing on mini-tours.
Now that dream has turned into a nightmare with a birdie-less final round of 80 (40-40).
Heather, with boyfriend Chris Kelly, a Tartan Tour professional as caddie, birdied six of the first 11 holes on her way to a first-round of 69 which gave her a two-stroke lead ... but a second-round 78, as it turned out, was the beginnng of the end of her hopes for another year, unless she can battle her way through the five-round Qualifying School Final Stage at two courses in the suburbs of Marrakech, Morocco, Samanah and Al Maaden, from December 14 to 18.
Heather was one of the 15 players whose LETAS Order of Merit finishing place earned them a straight route through to the Final Qualifying. Two more Scots are also among the 15, Pamela Feggans from Doone Valley, Ayrshire, like MacRae a winner on the LETAS circuit this year, and rookie Kelsey MacDonald (Robert Rock Academy) from Nairn.
Two English players who get ticket into the field for the Final Q School through the same route and Lauren Taylor and Charlotte Wild.
The Turkish tournament was won by Belgium's Chloe Leurquin who birdied the first hole of a sudden-death play-off against Spain's Mireia Prat, the winner of the Order of Merit, after they had tied on three-over-par 219. Leurquin was behind MacRae in the Order of Merit prior to the final event but victory enabled her to leapfrot past the Scot into fourth place.
The five players who have been promoted to the Ladies European Tour through the LETAS Order of Merit are:
1 Mirea Prat (Spain) 34,313; 2 Patricia Sanz Bario (Spain) 23,786; 3 Nicole Broch Larssen (Denmark) 17,724; 4 Chloe Leurquin (Belgium) 17,494; 5 Fabienne In-Albion (Switzerland) 14,106.
Other total: 6 Heather MacRae 14,064.
MINEKS LADIES CLASSIC
National Golf Club, Antalya, Turkey
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
219 Chloe Leurquin (Belgium) 76 71 72, Mireia Prat (Spain) 74 72 73 (Leurquin won play-off at first extra hole)
221 Caroline Martens (Norway) 72 79 70, Julie Tvede (Denmark) 71 71 79
222 Louise Larsson (Sweden) 72 75 75
223 Malene Jorgensen (Denmark) 75 78 70, Steffi Kirchmayr (Germany) 76 72 75.
SELECTED OTHER TOTALS
227 Heather MacRae (Scotland) 69 78 80, Gabriella Cowley (England) (am) 74 80 73 (T10)
228 Sally Watson (Scotland) 75 79 74, Kelsey MacDonald (Scotkabd) 79 74 75, Lucy Williams (England) 76 77 75 (T15).
229 Amy Boulden (Wales) 75 78 76, Charlotte Wild (England) 78 76 75 (T19).
233 Katy McNicoll (Scotland) 71 83 78 (24th)
234 Suzanne Dickens (England) 79 75 80 (last of 26 qualifiers).
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
CHLOE LEURQUIN'S FIRST WIN
EARNS PROMOTION TO L E T
REPORT FROM LETAS WEBSITE
Belgium's Chloe Leurquin won the final event of the LET Access Series, the Mineks Ladies Classic in sensational style at the National Golf Club on Saturday, winning for the first time as a professional and also earning her playing rights for the Ladies European Tour in 2014.
The young Belgian, pictured, needed to perform well in the last event of the season, to move from 7th on the LETAS Order of Merit and into the top five, to earn automatic qualification to the LET. Leurquin struggled in the opening round to a three over par, 76 but recovered well yesterday to score 71 in tough, windy conditions, getting herself back in to contention. Leurquin played solidly on the final day, scoring one under par with a crucial birdie on the 18th hole, holing a long birdie putt from the back edge of the green.
Spain's Mireia Prat, who has enjoyed a very successful season on LETAS, joined Leurquin on even par with a final round of 73. Prat and Leurquin returned to the 18th hole for the play off, where the Belgian hit her approach shot within two metres and set up another birdie chance. Prat was unable to hole her birdie putt, leaving Leurquin to clinch the title.
Chloe commented, “At the beginning of the week I was really nervous. I didn’t start very well so I played +3 the first day. So after that, I told myself now you have nothing to lose, just enjoy and try to have fun on the course. It’s just a practice to final stage in Marrakech.
"And then I played well in the 2nd round and today was just amazing. Winning was a bonus.”
Denmark's Julie Tvede, the overnight leader, stumbled to a third round of 79, finishing in a tie for third place alongside Caroline Martens from Norway, who shot a closing 70, for a two over par total. Sweden's Louise Larsson finished in fifth position on her own at three over par.
Mireia Prat topped the LETAS Order of Merit, with Patricia Sanz Barrio from Spain in second, Denmark's Nicole Broch Larsen in third position and Chloe Leurquin and Switzerland's Fabienne In-Albon rounding out the top five places. These players will all be looking forward to competing on the Ladies European Tour next season.
A further fifteen players earned a place to the final stage of LET Lalla Aicha Tour School, which takes place at the Samanah and Al Maaden Golf Resorts from the 14 - 18 December in Marrakech, Morocco.
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
The final event of the season on the Ladies European Tour's developmental circuit, LETAS, was a heart-breaker for Dunblane's Heather MacRae.
That gave her joint 10th place and dropped her to sixth place in the Order of Merit.
Only the first five were allowed to bypass the Qualifying School in Morocco next month and go straight on to the Big League. MacRae finished only 42pt or 42 euros behind the player who gained the last of the five places.
Prior to the tournament, MacRae, a 30-year-old member of the Gleneagles Hotel professional golf staff and winner of the 1995 British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Nairn before she turned professional, said that to play on the Ladies European Tour was the dream that kept her going over years of playing on mini-tours.
Now that dream has turned into a nightmare with a birdie-less final round of 80 (40-40).
Heather, with boyfriend Chris Kelly, a Tartan Tour professional as caddie, birdied six of the first 11 holes on her way to a first-round of 69 which gave her a two-stroke lead ... but a second-round 78, as it turned out, was the beginnng of the end of her hopes for another year, unless she can battle her way through the five-round Qualifying School Final Stage at two courses in the suburbs of Marrakech, Morocco, Samanah and Al Maaden, from December 14 to 18.
Heather was one of the 15 players whose LETAS Order of Merit finishing place earned them a straight route through to the Final Qualifying. Two more Scots are also among the 15, Pamela Feggans from Doone Valley, Ayrshire, like MacRae a winner on the LETAS circuit this year, and rookie Kelsey MacDonald (Robert Rock Academy) from Nairn.
Two English players who get ticket into the field for the Final Q School through the same route and Lauren Taylor and Charlotte Wild.
The Turkish tournament was won by Belgium's Chloe Leurquin who birdied the first hole of a sudden-death play-off against Spain's Mireia Prat, the winner of the Order of Merit, after they had tied on three-over-par 219. Leurquin was behind MacRae in the Order of Merit prior to the final event but victory enabled her to leapfrot past the Scot into fourth place.
The five players who have been promoted to the Ladies European Tour through the LETAS Order of Merit are:
1 Mirea Prat (Spain) 34,313; 2 Patricia Sanz Bario (Spain) 23,786; 3 Nicole Broch Larssen (Denmark) 17,724; 4 Chloe Leurquin (Belgium) 17,494; 5 Fabienne In-Albion (Switzerland) 14,106.
Other total: 6 Heather MacRae 14,064.
MINEKS LADIES CLASSIC
National Golf Club, Antalya, Turkey
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
219 Chloe Leurquin (Belgium) 76 71 72, Mireia Prat (Spain) 74 72 73 (Leurquin won play-off at first extra hole)
221 Caroline Martens (Norway) 72 79 70, Julie Tvede (Denmark) 71 71 79
222 Louise Larsson (Sweden) 72 75 75
223 Malene Jorgensen (Denmark) 75 78 70, Steffi Kirchmayr (Germany) 76 72 75.
SELECTED OTHER TOTALS
227 Heather MacRae (Scotland) 69 78 80, Gabriella Cowley (England) (am) 74 80 73 (T10)
228 Sally Watson (Scotland) 75 79 74, Kelsey MacDonald (Scotkabd) 79 74 75, Lucy Williams (England) 76 77 75 (T15).
229 Amy Boulden (Wales) 75 78 76, Charlotte Wild (England) 78 76 75 (T19).
233 Katy McNicoll (Scotland) 71 83 78 (24th)
234 Suzanne Dickens (England) 79 75 80 (last of 26 qualifiers).
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
CHLOE LEURQUIN'S FIRST WIN
EARNS PROMOTION TO L E T
REPORT FROM LETAS WEBSITE
The young Belgian, pictured, needed to perform well in the last event of the season, to move from 7th on the LETAS Order of Merit and into the top five, to earn automatic qualification to the LET. Leurquin struggled in the opening round to a three over par, 76 but recovered well yesterday to score 71 in tough, windy conditions, getting herself back in to contention. Leurquin played solidly on the final day, scoring one under par with a crucial birdie on the 18th hole, holing a long birdie putt from the back edge of the green.
Spain's Mireia Prat, who has enjoyed a very successful season on LETAS, joined Leurquin on even par with a final round of 73. Prat and Leurquin returned to the 18th hole for the play off, where the Belgian hit her approach shot within two metres and set up another birdie chance. Prat was unable to hole her birdie putt, leaving Leurquin to clinch the title.
Chloe commented, “At the beginning of the week I was really nervous. I didn’t start very well so I played +3 the first day. So after that, I told myself now you have nothing to lose, just enjoy and try to have fun on the course. It’s just a practice to final stage in Marrakech.
"And then I played well in the 2nd round and today was just amazing. Winning was a bonus.”
Denmark's Julie Tvede, the overnight leader, stumbled to a third round of 79, finishing in a tie for third place alongside Caroline Martens from Norway, who shot a closing 70, for a two over par total. Sweden's Louise Larsson finished in fifth position on her own at three over par.
Mireia Prat topped the LETAS Order of Merit, with Patricia Sanz Barrio from Spain in second, Denmark's Nicole Broch Larsen in third position and Chloe Leurquin and Switzerland's Fabienne In-Albon rounding out the top five places. These players will all be looking forward to competing on the Ladies European Tour next season.
A further fifteen players earned a place to the final stage of LET Lalla Aicha Tour School, which takes place at the Samanah and Al Maaden Golf Resorts from the 14 - 18 December in Marrakech, Morocco.
Labels: Pro Ladies
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