LET rookie professional Ines Laklalech will take a one shot lead into the final round of the Lacoste Ladies Open de France as she attempts to become the first Moroccan, first Arab and first North African woman to win a title on the Ladies European Tour.
The 24-year-old from Casablanca fired a second round of five-under-par 66 in windy conditions at Golf Barrière in Deauville on Friday for a 36-hole total of 11-under-par to sit a shot ahead of England’s Meghan MacLaren.
Defending champion Céline Boutier is two strokes further behind in third on eight-under-par after a pair of 67s, while Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup lies in fourth on seven-under-par.
Laklalech started on the back nine and went to the turn in in level par but rallied with four straight birdies from the first hole, which she played as her tenth and then closed with two more consecutive birdies on the par-3 eighth and par-5 ninth holes for an inward total of 29.
“The way I played, finishing five-under, is a really good performance, because I wasn’t happy about my game this morning, on the range or on the course,” she commented. “I stayed patient and Ali, my husband, who’s caddying for me this week, told me that he had read Meghan MacLaren’s quote yesterday that it wasn’t until the back nine when everything clicked. He said: ‘Wait for it, that’s what happens to players.’ On the back nine, the putter helped me to make six birdies.”
This is Laklalech’s first time leading on the LET, although she has recorded four top 10s in her first season on Tour so far and is ranked 52nd on the Race to Costa del Sol. She almost quit golf after a year at Wake Forest University, signing up for a Bachelor’s degree course in Management Sciences at University College London and she didn’t play golf for three years, until the itch returned when she attended the Lalla Meryem Cup as a spectator. She returned home to Morocco to train for two years and then attended LET Q School last December, finishing tied for 15th at La Manga Club as an amateur.
She said: “Maybe I’ll get a bit less sleep than usual tonight but this is the reason why I play and I’m really excited to be in contention with a chance to win the tournament.”
There is a strong line-up of experienced winners behind Laklalech and MacLaren will be eying her fourth win on the LET. The 28-year-old from Rushden, Northants, made birdies on the fifth and seventh, where she holed a bunker shot, before rolling in solid putts for birdie on the 11th and 17th holes.
MacLaren said: “This is where you want to be. This is why we play and it’s been a while since I’ve had these feelings. Just more of the same. I don’t think I’ve made a bogey since the first hole yesterday so I just want to keep scrambling and not give anything back to the course.”
Boutier, who is something of a comeback queen having chased a lead to win on both of the occasions she’s won on the LPGA Tour, will start the final round three back.
She is also aiming for a fourth LET title and said: “I felt like I was a little bit frustrated today and I didn’t start very well on the front nine. I managed to stay patient all day and I missed a few opportunities on the par fives but the birdie on 18 definitely made everything better.
“It’s not always easy to be chasing. It’s more comfortable to be ahead, but it’s a good position to be in and I have an opportunity to play for the win so that’s all that matters really.”
Elsewhere, Italian Virginia Elena Carta had the rarest of golfing birds – an albatross – on the par-5 second hole later in the day. Carta holed her second shot from the rough using a 4-iron from 192 yards to get into the middle of the chasing pack.
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