Lauren Walsh can’t wait to be reunited with her former amateur teammates when she returns to Ladies European Tour action in Morocco this week alongside Irish golf’s newest tour players.

The Castlewarden star (24) joins Q-School graduates Anna Foster, Sara Byrne and Annabel Wilson and the experienced Olivia Mehaffey in the Lalla Meryem Cup at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam's Blue Course as Pádraig Harrington tees it up on the Red Course in the PGA Tour Champions' Trophy Hassan II.

Walsh far exceeded her hopes by contending several times in her rookie season, recording four top 10 finishes to finish a brilliant 18th in the Order of Merit.

But now that she’s had a taste of success, she can’t wait to get back to action this week and do her bit to help the new rookies feel welcome.

“Last year was my first full year on tour and I didn't go in with too many expectations,” said Walsh, whose coach Shane O’Grady also looks after Leona Maguire

“I was fortunate enough got myself into contention a couple times and loved those weeks when I was in the mix. So I definitely learned a lot from the year and qualifying for the Open and St Andrews was a big highlight.

“Finishing 18th on the Order of Merit was a good year's work considering I started with partial status. So I am looking to pushing on this year and trying to win.”

Like Byrne, who also earned a full card on the LPGA’s Epson Tour and plans to play mainly in the US, Walsh also earn her card for second tier US Tour but plans to concentrate mainly on Europe.

Her big goal is to give herself a chance follow in the footsteps of Leona Maguire, who became the first Irishwoman to win on the LET last season.

“For me, I go to every tournament to win, so to win would be nice,” she said “I’ll try to get myself into contention as much as I can and just take it from there.”

As for the new wave of Irish talent, she’s excited to see it coming through.

“It's absolutely brilliant,” she said. “I'm looking forward to having more company out on tour.

“I was delighted for all the girls to get their card. And I think it's great for Irish golf and the future generation of girls to see a few Irish girls out on tour. It can only do good for the game.

“We all played on teams, growing up together. We were on Irish teams together, and I think, as a result, we've all hoped that one day we would all be here at some time. It'll be great for us all to be out on tour and play a couple of practice rounds together. It’ll just be enjoyable to for us all to be out there

Foster (23) finished a brilliant sixth at the LET Q-School, with Wilson eighth and Byrne 15th as Canice Screene earned partial status.

All four graduates have high hopes with Wilson (23) thrilled to make the LET and give herself a chance to achieve her dreams.

”I would love to do it all, really,” the Craigavon native said. “I haven't sat down and written a list of goals as such, but I want to be the best golfer I can be. What that is, I'm not sure, but we'll see.”

Byrne (23) had a sensational 2024 and made winning her LPGA card via the top ten in the Epson Tour Order of Merit her big goal.

“I’d love to get a win, wherever it is,” said the Cork star.

She had her first result yesterday when Harrington approached her and some of the new Irish continent on the LET and arranged to see them all for dinner during the week.

Walsh has worked hard in the off-season with coach Shane O’Grady to build on last year when they saw each other more often after four years of more frequent separation during her college career at Wake Forest.

“We haven't made any crazy changes,” she said. “He knows what works for me week in, week out, when I'm out there, and that was a whole learning process last year of trying to figure out how to schedule my weeks to make sure I'm staying on top of what I need to with my swing and my short game.

“He's been a great asset. He has so much experience and he’s been a crucial part of my success.

“My consistency is quite strong. I'm probably not the longest hitter out there, but I’m long enough, and I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. When I start holing some putts, I get myself in contention.

“So overall, I wouldn't say I have a big miss. So it’s good that the consistency is there, which showed in how many cuts I made last year.

“I kept myself in it a lot of weeks, and when I had to make a birdie to make a cut, or again, make some birdies to get myself in contention, I always felt like I was going to give myself chances like that.

“So again, my consistency is probably my strongest suit and also my mental game. I always feel like I always have a chance, and I never give up. So that's, that's another one of my strengths.”

While she’s still undecided on her schedule and how much golf she will play on the Epson Tour, heading back to LET courses she already knows will be a plus.

“I'm taking it one week at a time this year,” she said. “It’s likely I'll play Australia, but I can't commit to anything after that.”