Linnea Ström from Sweden won Pre-Qualifier B by six strokes after scoring four rounds in the 60s at Amelkis Golf Club in Marrakesh, Morocco.
The 22-year-old from Hovas posted rounds of 66, 69, 62 and 68 for a total of 23-under-par, to end six ahead of Leona Maguire from Ireland (pictured below, right).
Indian amateur Diksha Dagar and Austria’s Nadine Dreher (below, left) tied for third place. Exactly 38 players will progress to the Final Stage, to be played at Amelkis Golf Club and Palm Golf Ourika on December 16-20. Two fields play both courses twice ahead of the final round, to be held at Amelkis Golf Club.
Ström’s performance at Amelkis will be a huge boost going into the Final Stage, especially after taking some competitive time out. She wrapped up her Symetra Tour season at the beginning of October after a season that included 10 top-20 finishes and a win in the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge in September, thereby securing the fifth LPGA card available for 2019.
Reflecting on her week at the LET Lalla Aicha Tour School Pre-Qualifier, she said: “I’m very happy with my performance, because I’ve had one-and-a-half months off and I’ve been working on my technique and putting. When you make changes it can take some time so I’m happy to be able to play so well after not playing for a while. It will give me a lot of confidence going into next week.
“It was a little hard to re-charge after my round yesterday, because everything was perfect. I was hitting it well from the tee box and made almost every putt. 10-under was my best ever score and 23-under is my best ever total as well.
“Today I wanted to go out and continue to play for birdies. I’ve played strong all week. My putting has been good and I’ve been hitting my drives well as I’ve had a lot of wedges into greens.”
The former Arizona State University player, who had a year-and-a-half of eligibility remaining when she turned professional in March, will now join a field of 116 players from 31 different countries looking to secure their 2019 Ladies European Tour cards at the Final Stage, beginning in six days’ time, on Sunday December 16th.
