Patience is the name of the game for Cara Gainer at this week’s Lalla Meryem Cup as the English star looks to defend her crown in Morocco.
Gainer claimed a clutch victory last time out defeating India’s Diksha Dagar in a sudden-death playoff to secure her long-awaited maiden win on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
“I’m so excited to come back,” Gainer said, who fired a final round 69 (-4) at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in 2025 to get into the playoff. “Walking down the 18th hole today in the practice round, it was pretty cool to relive the playoff hole. It was one of the best shots I’ve ever ever hit in that playoff. It’s just really nice to be back. Everything is in great shape. It’s just a lovely to be back.
“It gives me massive confident coming here knowing I’ve won before. You know you can do it. I didn’t actually feel I made too many putts last year, but I holed them when I needed to. Especially on the final round when I birdied three of the final four holes to get into the playoff. I think that shows me that I need to be patient – just keep hitting good shots and good putts and eventually you’ll be rewarded which is what happened last year.”
It was a popular victory which kickstarted Gainer’s best year to date on the LET as she finished sixth on the Order of Merit.
“The win really set my year up last year,” the 30-year-old said. “I had a really great season finishing sixth in the rankings. I came close to winning a few times after that. It set up me well and helped me be more confident, knowing that I can get over the line because I’ve had so many season places. The fact that I could actually win was a really testament to me. I was so proud that I could finish it off when I needed to.”
Gainer was helped by fiancee Seb last year as he caddied for her en route to victory. This year it will be another family affair as the Englishwoman looks to defend the Lalla Meryem Cup.
“I’ve got my dad coming out to caddie for me,” Gainer said. “That will be fun because he doesn’t usually caddie for me. I’m in-between caddies at the moment and Seb [my fiancee who caddied for me last year] unfortunately can’t be here this year.
“But dad is going to be great fun and we’ve got a good group playing with Leonie [Harm] who won last week and Cass [Alexander] who I’ve played with a few times already this season. It’s going to be a nice walk and I can’t wait.”
As for this season, Gainer has enjoyed a solid start to the year returning to her best in South Africa where she secured a T5 at the Joburg Ladies Open and runner-up finish at the Investec SA Women’s Open. The results followed a strong off-season for a player now in her sixth year on the LET.
“I had a really good winter,” she said. “I had a few injuries at the end of last season [wrist and back] which pushed me back a little bit. But I feel my swing is in a good place. It all depends on whether I hole putts. That’s what I did in South Africa so if I can keep the game how it is and hole some putts, you never know what could happen this week.”
Gainer gets her title defence underway on Thursday at 12:45 playing alongside Harm and Alexander. She is expecting a challenging test at a course which will forever hold special memories.
“The golf course really suits me,” she continued. “It’s really challenging and and the greens are tricky and slopey. It requires a lot of shots that I like. It’s a lot about the approach shots and being strategic with where you place it. I think that suits my game and how I like to play golf. It’s such a beautiful place and the course is in excellent condition.”
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