Seven Share Early Lead in Morocco
Christmas films, hospital visits and an albatross set the tone at Lalla Aicha Q School
Round one of Final Qualifying for Lalla Aicha Q-School in Morocco finished with seven players tied on five-under par after 18 holes across Al Maaden Golf Marrakech and Royal Golf Marrakech, as the Ladies European Tour’s Final Stage continued following weather disruption.
Wales’ Ffion Tynan, South Africa’s Caitlyn Macnab, Iceland’s Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir, Nigeria’s Georgia Oboh, Isle of Man’s Ana Dawson, Poland’s Dorota Zalewska and Mexico’s Alejandra Llaneza all set the early pace. Six posted 68 at Al Maaden, while Zalewska produced the day’s low round, a 67, at tree-lined Royal Marrakech.
For Tynan, playing Lalla Aicha Q-School for the first time after progressing through last week’s Pre-Qualifier at Noria Golf Club, patience and par fives did the heavy lifting. “I stayed pretty patient out there and had a lot of fun,” she said. “I hit a lot of par-5s in two which always helps… It’s been so fun so far. I’m here with my best friend on the bag. We’ve had a good time and have been watching Christmas movies all week.”
Macnab’s five-under came with a backstory more suited to an endurance event than a qualifying tournament. “I was in the hospital until 1am in the morning last night with my caddie,” she said. “I got put on an IV and feel like a new person.” Llaneza, the 2016 Olympian, also fought through a week of illness, saying: “It’s been a rollercoaster of a week… I’ve been fighting a skin infection all week… I was just taking it one swing at a time.”
Dawson, meanwhile, provided the day’s exclamation point with an albatross on the par-five 13th at Al Maaden. “I was not expecting it to go in,” she said. “I think this is way better than a hole-in-one… This is definitely my golfing highlight!” Eight players sit tied for eighth on four-under, including England’s three-time LET winner Meghan MacLaren, while World No 53 Ingrid Lindblad is one back on three-under.
Round two starts Thursday at 9.40am local time, with the field rotating to the opposite course. After the Final Stage was reduced to 72 holes because of heavy rainfall on Tuesday, the target remains clear: the top 20 and ties after Saturday 20 December earn Category 12 status for the 2026 LET season.