The final two events of the 2023 season were especially nerve-wracking for players sitting at the higher end of the top 21 on the Order of Merit.
The last two weeks in Spain brought some fierce competition from players further back in the rankings as they vied to clinch exemption into the final stage of the LET Q school.
Yet those last three spots didn’t change after the penultimate event as two French players and one Dane battled until the end to finish the season strong.
Here are the last three players advancing to the final stage of the Lalla Aicha Qualifying School.
Number 19: Fie Olsen
Danish player Fie Olsen had her big break early on after winning the Flumserberg Ladies Open, the second event of the season and the only matchplay tournament.
The 24-year-old came from behind on a highly anticipated final day at the Flumserberg Ladies Open to win by three points over fellow Dane Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen.
The rest of the season was a little more turbulent for Olsen as she missed eight more cuts and made two more top 20 finishes. Yet as a season winner Olsen thoroughly deserves to advance to final qualifiers.
Speaking ahead of final stage, Olsen said: “Obviously, it is very nice to qualify for the final stage. It is a huge advantage.
“If you had asked me after my win, I would have strived for the top six at least but after coming home and thinking about the whole season, Top 21 is very good as my game has been very up and down.
“I am very excited that Q School is not going to be in Spain as I have not a luck there previously. It will be good for me to play elsewhere.”
Number 20: Chloe Salort
Out of all the players in the Order of Merit rankings, Salort was most relieved to secure a place in final qualifying after an injury took the matter out of her control.
The Frenchwoman was a consistently strong and passionate player on tour all year but had to pull out of the final two events in Spain due to an injury she sustained at the Lombardia Ladies Open.
Yet after two top 10 finishes and no missed cuts Salort did enough to finish within the top 21 and advance to final qualifying.
Salort said: “When I found out I had made it I was happy and carefree finally because it was incredibly difficult not being able to defend myself in the final two events.”
Number 21: Lucie Andre
The 2023 season started incredibly strong for Andre after she unexpectedly found herself in a five way play off at the Santander Golf Tour-Girona.
In breath-taking fashion, Andre won the play off with a bogey against the Netherland’s Marit Harryvan.
It was a season of two halves for the French 35-year-old who continued to make cuts until the latter events in Sweden where after the Big Green Egg Swedish Open, she missed seven cuts in a row.
However, Andre finished the season with confidence after making the cut at the final Santander Golf Tour Event in Zaragoza where she finished 49th.
Speaking about her season on social media, Andre said: “This was probably the toughest year I’ve been through on LETAS. I finished 21 in this rollercoaster year, my high was incredible, but my lows were extremely rough. I smiled, was hyper, was chill, positive, full of good energy and confidence. But I also was mad, irritated, felt ashamed, blamed others, cried, I lose heart, I got injured physically, I got lost & injured mentally and it’s time for a break now for a bit.”
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It’s over a month till the players tee it up in Marrakech so in the meantime, catch up on the rest of the season by following us: @letaccess on Instagram, X and LET Access Series on Facebook- #raiseourgame #accesstolet.
