Moroccan star Maha Haddioui was given a huge boost towards keeping her Ladies European Tour (LET) card at the Hero Women’s Indian Open after a final round 69 (-3) saw her finish T6 in Delhi.
The 36-year-old was six shots adrift heading into Sunday but soon found herself tied for the lead through 12 holes after posting five birdies on the card.
Unfortunately nerves got the better of Haddioui as she dropped three shots in her last four holes despite an excellent birdie on the par-3 16th.
But thanks to the final round flurry on arguably the toughest course on the circuit, Haddioui was able to soar up the leaderboard and secure a top-six finish as Liz Young clinched victory.
“The result definitely boosts me up,” the Moroccan said. “I’ve been doing a lot of work but it’s not always been paying off. I wish I didn’t make that bogey on the last – that would have been more helpful – but a top-six is still amazing.
“It’s a tough course and if you told me at the start of the day I would shoot this score, I would take it. I’m disappointed with the finish, I missed a three-footer on 17 for birdie and then made a bogey on 18, but I’m still very happy with the week. I feel like I’ve come a long way with my game.
“You’ve got to learn to win. After today, I know I’ve got the game for it, because I made a lot of mistakes and I was still up there. It’s a learning opportunity. I think at the end I had a lot of nerves. I’ve not been in this position a lot recently. But I enjoyed it. I was grateful for the pressure. I always say, pressure is a privilege. If you’re feeling pressure, you’re in the right place.”
Perhaps most importantly, Haddioui has jumped over 20 spots in the Order of Merit moving into 73rd position.
“[The Order of Merit] was definitely on my mind,” she explained. “I’m not going to lie. It’s what you think about when you’re playing the last few holes. You’re thinking, ok, I’ve got a chance to win. I’ve got a chance not to go to Q-School – which of course is something I don’t want to go to.
“So yeah, there were a lot of things crossing my mind. It was a challenge to play the course while staying present. I think that’s what I struggled with a little bit at the end. But again, I’m still really happy with the week.”
With two events remaining in 2024, the top-70 will secure their full card for the 2025 season. Haddioui finished 178th in the season standings in 2023 so has seen immense progress in her game.
She said: “I’ve been doing a lot of work with my coach. I felt like before, I was playing not to miss. I got to this week and I knew it was a tough course, as tough as it gets. I looked at it as a challenge, having to beat each hole and be really strategic. I had fun with it, because how often do you get to play in places like this? It’s unbelievable.
“It takes practice to be at the top. I’m really happy with the week. I love it in India. I love the course. It’s a challenging course. There’s no shot given to you. I’m looking forward to next week.”
Next up for Haddioui and the stars of the LET is a return to Riyadh for the final Aramco Team Series presented by PIF event of the season.
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