Leona Maguire facing final round battle for LET card
Ladies European Tour 2018. Final Qualifying School, Amelkis Golf Club, Marrakech, Morocco. December 15-20 2018. Leona Maguire of Ireland during the fourth round. Credit: Tristan Jones
Leona Maguire faces a nerve-shredding battle for her Ladies European Tour card after a fourth round 72 left her a shot outside the magic number heading into the final round of the Lalla Aicha Tour School in Morocco.
The top five after today's fifth round at Amelkis Golf Club in Marrakesh will be awarded Category 5c membership of the LET for 2019, guaranteeing them starts in most events.
But while it promises to be a pressure-packed day for Slieve Russell star Maguire (24) who is tied for sixth on eight-under-par after mixing three birdies with three bogeys in a sluggish, level par round at the Palm Golf Ourika course on moving day.
Stockport's Bronte Law leads by two shots on 21-under-par from Sweden's Linnea Ström after she followed her sensational 62 on Tuesday with a bogey-free 64.
Linnea Ström of Sweden during the fourth round. Credit: Tristan Jones
England's Sian Evans lies third after a 67, eight shots behind Strom on 11-under par with German amateur Esther Henseleit (10-under) and France's Emilie Alonso (nine-under) rounding out the all-important top five,
But with just two shots covering the next ten players on the leaderboard, a final round cavalry charge lies in store for Maguire with a hole by hole play-off scheduled in the event of a tie for fifth.
She'll be feeling good about her chances as she returns to her preferred venue today.
And with the players finishing from sixth to 25th only getting limited, Category 8 membership and fewer 2019 starts, a final round in the sixties could be worth its weight in gold.
Leader Law (23) is riding high on confidence and after making nine birdies on the trot in her 62 on Tuesday, she started with three in a row yesterday as she outscored Strom by one stroke, 64-65.
A total of 68 players made the 72-hole cut, which fell at five-over-par.
