Uphill Q-School task for Delaney
Tara Delaney has her work cut out after opening with a six over 78 in the first round of the Ladies European Tour’s Lalla Aicha Tour School Final Qualifying in Morocco.
The Carlow player is tied for 81st in the 95-strong field in Marrakech after her opening effort on the Al Maaden Course which players tackle on alternate days with the Samanah Course over four rounds before the Top 60 and ties battle for 30 cards in the fifth and final round.
Starting on the 10th, Delaney was two under par after birdie fours at the 13th and 16th but she double bogeyed the 17th and triple bogeyed the 18th before adding four bogeys and just one birdie on her homeward nine.
Sweden’s Rebecca Sorensen carded a sparkling six-under-par 66 at Golf Al Maaden and swept to the top of the leaderboard.
After a calm and sunny day, the 27-year-old from Grabo holds a one-stroke advantage over American Tessa Teachman, Norwegian Caroline Martens and Austrian amateur Nina Muehl.
Italian Sophie Sandolo, Denmark’s Julie Tvede and Moroccan Maha Haddioui shot rounds of 68, followed by Britons Heather Macrae, Anna Scott and Hannah Ralph on 69.
Delaney played 11 events on the LET Access Tour in 2013, missing her first 10 cuts before claiming a share of ninth in last month’s Costa Blanca Ladies Open.
That left her 100th in the LETAS Order of Merit with €773. In 2012 she made two cuts from 10 starts to earn €1,265 for 94th in the money list.