Pictured: Lina Belmati, Intissar Rich, Amine el Kharraz together with caddies, Justine Dreher and National Coaches Marta Figueras Dotti and Elian Berthet
Aspiring young Moroccan amateur golfers teamed up with LET member Justine Dreher to play in the Lalla Meryem Cup Pro-Am at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam on Tuesday, to gain experience of professional golf and learn about life on the LET. The activity was organised as part of the LET Development strategy, to inspire and encourage young amateur golfers to develop their skills and talents.
The Moroccan Golf Federation restructured their organisation in 2016 and brought in Marta Figueras-Dotti, Vice-Captain of the 2017 European Solheim Cup team, as the Head National Coach. “There is a lot of potential and the programme is building up, but what I am most impressed with is their enthusiasm, their openness and the great spirit among the group,” said Marta. “They have a willingness and a passion to learn from others. Their motivation and determination to get better is truly amazing. For our juniors to meet up with professional players and to be in this professional surrounding is really inspiring and I know the juniors appreciate all the advice Justine shared.”
Lina Belmati, 20, from Rabat, (above left, with Justine Dreher), will progress from playing in the Pro-Am to teeing up in the main competition, the Lalla Meryem Cup, from Thursday and she said: “About six years ago, I started playing just around the corner from this course, together with other boys and girls. I played tennis before, but injured my ankle and during a holiday in Spain I got the opportunity to try golf: I was hooked! The sport is good for me and I like the atmosphere and being out there on the course controlling my own golf and making my own decisions, not like other sports where you sometimes depend on the opponent. I am studying business right now, at university here in Rabat and once I graduate, I plan to turn professional. It was a really nice experience to play with Justine today and I got the opportunity to ask for advice and look at her behaviour on the course. I learned a lot of things that I will use when playing in the event this week. I got an invite to the Lalla Meryem Cup last year as well and I’m excited to be back and teeing off on Thursday.”
Justine added that she enjoyed sharing her experiences and said: “For me, it was the most fun pro-am I have ever played in. It was nice to see the dynamic in this group with some of the amateurs playing and some caddying. They had a great spirit. They all took this as a great opportunity and a chance to learn and it’s sometimes good for us professionals to see how passionate they are and how much they cherish the opportunity to have fun on the course. It creates a positive spirit overall and it is something I will take with me when I continue practicing this week and start the tournament on Thursday.”
