SALLY, LAURA, HEATHER AND JANE MAKE SOUND START IN MOROCCO

                                  SALLY WATSON ... Top Scot on Day 1 at Rabat

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Sally Watson, Laura Murray, Heather Stirling and Jane Turner could feel well satisfied with their first-day scores but Katy McNicoll, Michele Thomson and Kelly Brotherton will struggle to gain pass marks after failing to break 80 as the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School pre-qualifiers "B" (Red Course) and "C" (Blue Course) got underway over the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam courses at Rabat in Morocco today.
The leading 23 players and ties at the end of four rounds will go forward from the field of 52 on the Red Course to next week's Final Q School at Marrakech.
The leading 15 and ties from the smaller field of 34 on the Blue Course will advance after 72 holes this week.
Elie-based Watson is sharing second place on one-over-par 74 at the Red Course, despite running up a double bogey 7 at the long 12th. She had birdies at the sixth, 11th and short 14th.
Alford's Murray, from the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre stable, is joint eighth after a three-over 76 on the same course. She too marred her card with a double bogey 6 at the 16th but birdies at the seventh long 12th, short 14th and short 17th helped to repair some of the damage.
Carnoustie's McNicoll had three 7s (one triple bogey, two double bogeys) on her car before she finished her round with five straight  bogeys for a 10-over 83 and joint 39th place.
Thomson, from Ellon, is joint 46th after a birdie-less 85 (44-41) after managing only three pars on the outward half.
Killarney-based Brotherton is joint 48th with an 87 (45-42). She parred only two of her first nine holes.
At the Blue Course, Heather Stirling from Bridge of Allan originally is joint fourth after a three-over 75 which did not include a single birdie but the professional caddie on both sides of the Atlantic bogeyed only three holes, the first, 11th and 17th.
Jane Turner from Penicuik had an adventurous 77 (36-41) for a share of 10th place. Turner had birdies at the long second, seventh and short 15th but she also had double bogey 6s at the 13th and 16th before also bogeying the 17th and 18th .

LEADERBOARDS
Red Course (Par 73)
72 Kiran Matharu (Eng)
74 Sally Watson (Sco), Ariane Provot (Fra)
75 Emma Taylor (Eng), Josefine Sundh (Swe), Maggie Yuan (NZ), Amy Boulden (Wal)

OTHER SCOTS' SCORES
76 Laura Murray (T8)
83 Katy McNicoll (T39)
85 Michele Thomson (T46)
87 Kelly Brotherton (T48)

Blue Course 
Par 72
Leading 15 and ties after 72 holes to qualify for Final Q School
73 Krista Bakker (Fin) (am)
74 Nicole Garcia (SAf) (am), Julie Maisongrosse (Fra)

SCOTS' SCORES
75 Heather Stirling (T4)
77 Jane Turner (T10).