Moroccan amateur Sofia Cherif Essakali was one of the stars of the show at the Lalla Meryem Cup after she became the youngest player to make the cut in the tournament at just 13-years-old.
Swapping books for birdies, the teenage sensation, born 28th May, 2009, got off to a dream start at Royal Golf Dar Es Alaam’s Blue course when she opened with a 74 (+1) on day one to position herself as the leading Moroccan.
Chasing history as one of the youngest players to ever make the cut on the Ladies European Tour (LET), Essakali then faced an anxious wait on Friday after a second round 79 (+6) left her hoovering around the cut line.
But with the number eventually set at +8, the 13-year-old saw the weekend to the delight of the home fans in attendance.
“I still haven’t had a chance to take it all in,” she said after the accomplishment. “I finished late on Friday so I didn’t really think about it too much. I also had to do homework, so I didn’t really think about my game! But I’m so happy that I was able to make the cut in this event.”
Roared on by arguably the biggest crowd of the weekend, Essakali – who won the US Kids Golf World Championships for the 11-year-old age group in 2020 – then had a Saturday to remember after carding three birdies to shoot 73 (+1) and finish T49 in Rabat.
“I really enjoyed playing this week,” she said afterwards. “I had such a great time and had a lot of fun with my caddie. All the players were so nice to me so it was really cool.
“It was my first time having a big crowd watching me, so I was a little nervous but I still managed to deal with it for the most part. So overall I’m very proud of myself.
“It’s been a really good week. I’ve loved having so much support and I would like to thank everyone who came out and supported me out there.”
Teeing up in just her first ever LET event, Essakali now cements her name in the record books as the youngest player to make the cut at the Lalla Meryem Cup.
Ariya Jutanugarn remains the youngest in LET history after achieving the feat at just 12-years-old when she finished T28 at the 2008 Finnair Masters at Helsinki Golf Club.
So what’s next for the young Moroccan after her memorable week?
“I would now to like go and play college golf,” Essakali said. “I’d love to go to Stanford. And after that, hopefully, play on the LET and LPGA Tour.”
The full tournament results can be found here.
