Shasta Averyhardt improved during every round of the Pre-Qualifier held at Noria Golf to finish the week in a tie for seventh place.
An opening round of 75 (+2) had everything for the American with a double bogey, four bogeys, two birdies and a hole-in-one.
But Averyhardt fought back for a round of two-under with four birdies and two bogeys, before a bogey-free 69 (-4) on the final day.
And the 37-year-old enjoyed her first week in Morocco and is happy to be in the Final Qualifier.
“I loved this week, I felt like everything was clicking,” said Averyhardt. “I knew that if I just stayed patient, if I stayed in a good state of mind and enjoyed my time here and that I was being present that I was going to have a good week.
“I have been playing golf for so long, I thought about what are the learning lessons? To be present, to have fun and soak up the moment. I feel like things always fall into place. I did catch a cold, so I thought please just get through the round and play well.
“That was my fourth hole-in-one and it had been a six-year drought. I was thinking about it earlier this fall, I haven’t had a hole-in-one in a while – when am I going to get one? It worked out perfectly and it came at the right time.”
Averyhardt did attend LET Q-School in December 2022 but wasn’t best prepared to take on the challenge and promised herself she would come back this year.
Instead, the American has been working with golf charities and doing some work with brands and social media.
However, having gained some confidence from last week Averyhardt is hoping to keep her attitude in check during the Final Stage of Lalla Aicha Q-School.
She explained: “Last year I had a lot going on when I came to LET Q-School, I was moving to a different state at the time that I was trying to get ready for Q-School. I felt that my game wasn’t together, mentally I wasn’t quite as sharp.
“I thought I was going to give myself one more chance to do this, I don’t really want to go back to Q-School ever again. With only a little bit of status, I used the year as an experimental year with media, social media, working with brands, working with different golf charities and then I’ll give Q-School a run. I already made the decision to come back, and I want full status, that’s the plan!
“I feel pretty confident, I feel like I just need to stay present and not get ahead of myself and not beat myself up if I hit a bad shot or hit a bogey. It’s so easy to go down the rabbit hole.
“It’s easy to get ahead of yourself too when you’re pre-planning your future after being five-under-par. I can’t control everybody and how they play, I can only control my attitude and that’s the big thing for me – check your attitude.”
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