Irish hopes of strong representation on the LET in 2024 are hanging by a thread as both Lauren Walsh and Olivia Mehaffey struggled on day three of the Lalla Aicha Q-School in Marrakech.
Walsh, who’d put rounds of -4 and -1 together on days one and two respectively to lie T16 through 36 holes, was taking on the easier of the two courses hosting the event in round three, but a double-bogey on the par-3 sixth and further dropped shots on 13 and 16 saw the cutline for fifth and final round fast approaching in her rearview mirror.
To her credit, she rebounded with back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 to claw her way back to +2 for the day and -3 overall, where she occupies a share of 34th with the top 65 after 72 holes competing for 20 Category 12 cards and a further 30 Category 16 cards.
Olivia Mehaffey’s chances of teeing it up in Wednesday’s final round are slim after a two-over 74 on the more difficult Royal Course saw her slip to a tie for 96th, three shots off the necessary mark.
Starting on the back nine, she made the turn at -1 for the day, but three dropped shots on the front side mean she’ll likely need a score of -4 or better if she’s to earn herself a fifth-round tee time.
In her favour is the fact that she’ll be playing the easier of the two courses on day four, but the same can’t be said for Walsh who will look at today as an opportunity to give herself a little cushion missed.
20-year-old Russian Nataliya Gusev has come through to take pole position going into round four, firing her third successive 67 to move to -16, where she holds a two-stroke cushion over Singapore amateur Shannon Tan.
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