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 LET.
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, set against a stunning backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.
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 England, 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 18th 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 Kelsey Macdonald in a tie for sixth. Swedes Louise Stahle and Anjelika Hammar were eighth and ninth respectively.
Morocco’s Maha Haddioui tied for 10th 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 18th 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.
RESULTS - Five Rounds
1 Nanna Madsen (Am) (DNK) -17 69 70 71 70 63 343
2 Georgia Hall (ENG) -15 67 68 69 70 71 345
3 Sophia Popov (GER) -14 71 71 66 72 66 346
4 Emily Kristine Pedersen (Am) (DNK) -10 74 71 69 71 65 350
5 Nicole Garcia (RSA) -9 72 75 70 67 67 351
6 Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) -8 75 71 75 63 68 352
Kelsey Macdonald (SCO) -8 70 74 66 70 72 352
8 Louise Stahle (SWE) -6 69 71 71 69 74 354
9 Anjelika Hammar (SWE) -5 75 75 68 68 69 355
10 Maha Haddioui (MAR) -4 72 70 70 70 74 356
Monique Smit (RSA) -4 72 69 68 76 71 356
Anne Van Dam (Am) (NLD) -4 70 74 70 70 72 356
13 Louise Friberg (SWE) -3 73 67 77 69 71 357
Emma Goddard (Am) (ENG) -3 69 70 69 76 73 357
15 Steffi Kirchmayr (GER) -2 72 72 72 69 73 358
Carmen Alonso (ESP) -2 72 70 71 71 74 358
17 Csilla Lajtai-Rozsa (Am) (HUN) -1 74 71 75 66 73 359
Elisa Serramia (ESP) -1 71 76 69 71 72 359
19 Lien Willems (BEL) E 79 69 74 68 70 360
Linda Henriksson (FIN) E 72 74 68 73 73 360
Elina Nummenpaa (FIN) E 72 72 74 70 72 360
Nina Muehl (AUT) E 72 70 74 70 74 360
Alex Peters (ENG) E 71 71 72 72 74 360
Marta Sanz (ESP) E 70 73 71 71 75 360
Marika Voss (FIN) E 70 72 70 72 76 360
26 Laura Murray (SCO) +1 79 73 72 70 67 361
Melissa Eaton (RSA) +1 76 76 68 68 73 361
Amber Ratcliffe (ENG) +1 75 74 71 69 72 361
Rebecca Sorensen (SWE) +1 75 73 68 74 71 361
Laura Jansone (LVA) +1 75 71 73 69 73 361
Heather Macrae (SCO) +1 73 75 71 67 75 361
Lucie Andre (FRA) +1 73 68 74 67 79 361
Lynn Carlsson (SWE) +1 70 73 77 70 71 361
Virginia Espejo (ESP) +1 68 74 71 76 72 361
35 Natalie Wille (SWE) +2 76 76 70 70 70 362
36 Josephine Janson (SWE) +3 75 73 69 74 72 363
Charlotte Ellis (ENG) +3 74 72 74 72 71 363
Jienalin Zhang (Am) (CHN) +3 72 74 75 71 71 363
Anna Christina Kindgren (Am) (COL) +3 72 74 73 75 69 363
Caroline Rominger (SWI) +3 72 73 71 75 72 363
41 Paula Hurtado (COL) +4 76 70 70 77 71 364
Marie Fourquier (Am) (FRA) +4 75 79 70 69 71 364
Lauren Taylor (ENG) +4 75 73 74 71 71 364
Sharmila Nicollet (IND) +4 71 74 71 76 72 364
Anais Maggetti (SWI) +4 69 75 71 74 75 364
46 Melanie Maetzler (SWI) +5 75 69 75 72 74 365
Julia Davidsson (SWE) +5 74 74 69 74 74 365
Viva Schlasberg (SWE) +5 74 72 74 71 74 365
Johanna Bjork (SWE) +5 73 70 74 73 75 365
Krista Bakker (FIN) +5 72 80 72 68 73 365
51 Wei Wei Zhang (Am) (CHN) +6 76 71 67 75 77 366
Ashley Ona (AUS) +6 75 72 73 73 73 366
Maria Palacios (ESP) +6 74 71 74 73 74 366
Maria Beautell (ESP) +6 72 70 76 73 75 366
55 Sarah-Jane Boyd (ENG) +7 77 72 75 69 74 367
Lucy Williams (ENG) +7 73 73 74 74 73 367
57 Laura Sedda (ITA) +8 75 76 73 70 74 368
Portland Rosen (USA) +8 73 73 73 73 76 368
Manon De Roey (Am) (BEL) 8 73 72 76 72 75 368
60 Charlotte Thompson (ENG) +9 75 75 71 73 75 369
Amanda Strang (SWE) +9 72 76 71 71 79 369
62 Natalia Escuriola Martinez (Am) (ESP) +10 74 76 72 72 76 370
Elisabetta Bertini (ITA) +10 71 75 72 76 76 370
64 Sanna Nuutinen (FIN) +11 71 76 72 74 78 371
THE CUT | Score: 294
65 Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ) +7 80 72 70 73 295
Kiran Matharu (ENG) +7 79 76 72 68 295
Vittoria Valvassori (ITA) +7 78 73 72 72 295
Victoria Lovelady (BRA) +7 77 74 75 69 295
Johanna Gustavsson (SWE) +7 76 75 73 71 295
Karolin Lampert (GER) +7 73 78 70 74 295
Olivia Cowan (Am) (GER) +7 72 75 74 74 295
Astrid Vayson De Pradenne (FRA) +7 69 70 78 78 295
73 Jamila Jaxaliyeva (KAZ) +8 77 72 75 72 296
Oona Vartiainen (FIN) +8 76 78 70 72 296
Isabell Gabsa (GER) +8 75 75 77 69 296
Blair O\'Neil (USA) +8 73 76 71 76 296
Jane Turner (SCO) +8 71 77 75 73 296
Piti Martinez Bernal (Am) (ESP) +8 71 73 73 79 296
79 Adriana Brent (AUS) +9 78 72 72 75 297
Lucie Hinnerova (CZE) +9 73 77 73 74 297
Daisy Brierley (ENG) +9 73 76 72 76 297
Charlotte Wild (ENG) +9 71 74 74 78 297
83 Therese Nerpin (SWE) +10 77 77 74 70 298
Kristen Park (USA) +10 75 77 72 74 298
Alessandra Braida (Am) (ITA) +10 75 75 75 73 298
Rachel Raastad (NOR) +10 74 75 74 75 298
Sarah Schober (Am) (AUT) +10 72 76 74 76 298
Kym Larratt (ENG) +10 70 79 75 74 298
89 Sofia Bjorkman (SWE) +11 77 76 72 74 299
Thanuttra Boonraksasat (THA) +11 77 72 74 76 299
Anna Svenstrup (SWE) +11 76 73 77 73 299
Alison Whitaker (AUS) +11 75 73 79 72 299
Olafia Kristinsdottir (ISL) +11 73 74 77 75 299
Kyle Roig (PUR) +11 70 76 75 78 299
95 Valdis Jonsdottir (ISL) +12 76 76 76 72 300
Jiayi Zhou (Am) (CHN) +12 76 75 76 73 300
97 Abbey Gittings (ENG) +13 80 73 72 76 301
Annabel Dimmock (Am) (ENG) +13 78 78 74 71 301
Francesca Cuturi (RSA) +13 76 75 76 74 301
Alessandra Averna (ITA) +13 75 79 74 73 301
101 Stefania Avanzo (ITA) +14 81 74 72 75 302
Leena Makkonen (Am) (FIN) +14 78 78 75 71 302
Lauren Blease (ENG) +14 78 76 74 74 302
Tara Lyons (USA) +14 77 78 72 75 302
Jessica Karlsson (SWE) +14 76 73 77 76 302
Ariane Provot (FRA) +14 76 72 79 75 302
Melodie Bourdy (FRA) +14 75 82 74 71 302
Laure Sibille (FRA) +14 71 78 75 78 302
109 Ainil Bakar (MYS) +15 74 76 74 79 303
Laura Sanchez (Am) (COL) +15 72 84 74 73 303
111 Sheree Hasson (Am) (AUS) +16 81 75 76 72 304
112 Cai Danting (Am) (CHN) +20 81 76 76 75 308
Rebecca Green (AUS) +20 76 80 75 77 308
114 Kate Scarpetta (USA) +21 81 75 75 78 309
115 Gemma Fuster Anglada (ESP) +23 78 80 80 73 311
116 Emma Nilsson (SWE) +24 80 78 74 80 312
Anna Rossi (ITA) +24 76 79 76 81 312
118 Patricia Lobato (ESP) +27 82 76 78 79 315