THREE SCOTS GAIN PASS MARKS AT FINAL Q SCHOOL IN MOROCCO

KELSEY, HEATHER AND LAURA EARN RIGHT TO PLAY ON LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR NEXT YEAR

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Kelsey MacDonald, Heather MacRae and Laura Murray have all gained pass marks at the Ladies European Tour Final Qualifying School.
Only the top 30 and ties after today's (Sunday) fifth and final round over the Jack Nicklaus-designed Samanah course at Marrakech, Morocco gained Category 8a membership of the LET, in other words, full playing rights on the Tour.
 Nairn-born Kelsey, 24,  finished joint sixth with an aggregate of seven-under-par 353 while Gleneagles staff pro Heather, 31, from Dunblane and Alford's Laura, 26, who plays out of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, both made it on the limit mark of one-over 361.
Only Jane Turner, 25, from Penicuik, of the four Scots in the original field of 120, failed to survive the fourth-round cut by two shots with a 72-hole total of 296.
 By qualifying for the Final Q School, Jane does gain Category 12a membership which will entitle her to some outings on the Ladies European Tour in 2015.
MacDonald, the 2010 Scottish women's amateur champion at Craigielaw, played very well for  rounds of 70, 74, 66, 70 and 73. She was always near the top of the leaderboard throughout the five-day marathon.
Murray's an outstanding effort considering she started the tournament with a seven-over-par 79. But the 2012 Scottish women's amateur champion at Tain covered the last four rounds in six under par, getting better every day, despite the mounting pressure, with scores of 73, 72, 70 and 67.
Her bogey-free final round was highlighted with birdies at the first, second, third, 13th and 18th.
Laura's capture of the Paul Lawrie Ladies Tartan Tour Order of Merit earlier in the year earned her free flights to Morocco and hotel accommodation expenses as well. 
MacRae, winner of the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship at Nairn in 2005, sagged a bit with a final round of 75 after earlier efforts of 73, 75, 71 and 67 but she had done enough to secure a place on next year's Ladies European Tour. 
Kelsey, Heather and Laura, who all made appearances on the Paul Lawrie Ladies Tartan Tour, join fellow Scots Kylie Walker, Sally Watson, Pamela Pretswell, Vikki Laing and Carly Booth on the Ladies European Tour.
After leading throughout the first four rounds, former British women's and girls' open amateur champion Georgia Hall from Bournemouth was headed down the home straight for the No 1 qualifier honour by Nanna Madsen. The 20-year-old Danish amateur and South Carolina University first-year student had a brilliant, 10-birdie final round of nine-under 63 for a total of 17-under 343 - two shots ahead of Hall who closed with a 71.
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR FINAL QUALIFYING SCHOOL
Marrakech, Morocco.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 360 (5x72, Samanah and Al Maaden courses)
343 Nanna Madsen (Den) (am) 69 70 71 70 63.
345 Georgia Hall (Eng) 67 68 69 70 71
346 Sophia Popov (Ger) 71 71 66 72 77
350 Emily Pedersen (Den) (am) 74 71 69 71
351 Nicole Garcia (SAf) 72 75 70 678 67
353 Bonita Bredenham (Namibia) 75 71 75 63 69, Kelsey MacDonald (Sco) 70 74 66 70 73
354 Louise Stahle (Swe) 69 71 71 69 74.

SELECTED QUALFIFIERS
357 Emma Goddard (Eng) (am) 69 70 69 76 73 (T13)
360 Alex Peters (Eng) 71 71 72 72 74 (T19)
361 Heather MacRae (Sco) 73 75 71 67 75, Laura Murray (Sco) 79 73 72 70 67, Amber Ratcliffe (Eng) 75 74 71 69 72  (T26).

FAILED TO QUALIFY WITHIN TOP 30 AND TIES
+Following players gain Category 9b members of LET
363 Charlotte Ellis (Eng) 74 72 74 72 71 (T36)
364 Lauren Taylor (Eng) 75 73 74 71 71 (T41)
367 Sarah-Jane Boyd (Eng) 77 72 75 69 74, Lucy Williams (Eng) 73 73 74 74 73 (T55)
369 Charlotte Thompson (Eng) 75 75 71 73 75 (T60).

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

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                          Nanna Madsen with the winner's trophy and a floral tribute

DANISH AMATEUR NANNA GAINS TOP

MARKS AT THE TOUR SCHOOL

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE
By Bethan Cutler, LET Media Manager

Danish amateur Nanna Madsen posted a tournament record-equalling nine-under-par 63 in the last round of Lalla Aicha Tour School Final Qualifying to earn a two-stroke victory and access to the 2015 Ladies European Tour.

One of the most intense events in golf came to a gripping conclusion on a sun-kissed final day at Samanah Golf Club, Marrakech set against a stunning backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

After a marathon of golf over five rounds on the Al Maaden and Samanah courses, 34 players from 17 different countries earned eligibility for Membership of the Ladies European Tour in Category 8a with a score of one over par or better.

At the summit, 20-year-old Madsen from Copenagen showed enormous potential as she reeled off 10 birdies and one bogey to finish on a 90-hole total of 343, 17-under-par.

Overnight leader Georgia Hall from Dorset, who had led since the first round, managed a 71 to end on 15 under in second position, while Germany’s Sophia Popov made a flying start but bogeyed the 18^th to drop into outright third.

Madsen said: “It’s really great to win the tour card and I’m really excited to play on the Ladies European Tour next year. It’s been a long week: five rounds, the longest tournament I’ve ever played, but it’s been a pleasure being here in Morocco. 

"It’s been wonderful weather and the golf has been really great. Today I made a lot of putts and hit a lot of great shots. Yesterday I hit a lot of great shots too but the putts didn’t go into the hole.”

The birdies and eagles were flying on the final day and another Danish amateur, Emily Kristine Pedersen, also from Smørum Golfklub, fired a 65 to take fourth spot.

South African Nicole Garcia was fifth, with Namibia’s Bonita Bredenhann and Scotland's Kelsey Macdonald in a tie for sixth. Swedes Louise Stahle and Anjelika Hammar were eighth and ninth respectively.

Morocco’s Maha Haddioui tied for 10^th place to regain her full tour card for 2015 and she said: “The job is done, I am in top 30, so I can move on now. There was a lot of pressure today but my game was very consistent during the whole week, except my putting today. But I am in. So I am very happy.”

Ice-cool Madsen said: “I didn’t feel any pressure. I was hunting the other girls all the time and then I was leading by two shots on the 18^th so I wasn’t really nervous today. I was nervous yesterday but not today.

On her boyfriend, Nicki Hansen, caddying, she continued: “He’s had a hard job trying to keep me calm all the time but today I think he helped me to play good golf.

“I didn’t expect to win. I mean, I did see a low score on this course but I was surprised that I made six birdies on the back nine.”

Hall, who began the final day with a six-stroke lead, admitted that she hadn’t expected such low scoring. She said: “I thought there would be a four under, five under and I thought if I shot one or two under that would do it. 

"I didn’t play that well but I didn’t play that badly either. I’m definitely pleased to have my tour card and I’ve done what I needed to do at the end of the day.”

Popov had a dream start and was seven under through 11 holes, but it wasn’t enough to catch Madsen.  She said: “I had a really good front nine. I just couldn’t drop anything the back nine but of course I’m happy with a six under.” She now hopes to qualify for The 2015 Solheim Cup, at her home club in Germany.

The players are joining the Ladies European Tour at an exciting time. In addition to a full schedule of events in 2015, The Solheim Cup will take place at Golf Club St Leon-Rot in September and this will be followed in 2016 by golf’s return to the Olympic Games.

The 2015 Ladies European Tour season gets under way with the RACV Ladies Masters in Queensland on February 12, after a seven- week break from tournament golf.