Fernanda Lira had an excellent finish to the Pre-Qualifier being held at Samanah Golf as she fired a round of 65 (-7).
The Mexican player had a steady opening two days carding 71 (-1) in the first two rounds but came out firing on the final day.
A flawless round of seven-under which included an eagle on the ninth and five further birdies ensured she finished in second place.
“I was just trying to take every hole as it came,” she said. “I really wanted to do well on the par-fives because they beat me on the first day. I was like, I need to birdie every single one. I was playing solid golf, one shot at a time.
“[On the eagle] They bumped up the tee. I hit a really good driver and I had 192 yards and hit my 4-hybrid to three feet and made it. It felt like a par-four so I tried to make a three.
“I set myself a very simple strategy. A lot of my birdies were good shots from the fairway and I had a couple of three-footers, so it was an easy going round.”
There was extra motivation for Lira, who had spotted a jacket that she wanted to buy, and she made a promise to herself. All she had to do was shoot in the 60s and that’s exactly what she did.
She explained: “I saw a jacket in the market and I told myself, if I shoot in the 60s I’ll get myself the jacket, so that was in the back of my mind. I wanted to keep playing well so that I could get this jacket.
“One of my friends said I don’t even know why you want this jacket, because it looks Mexican. It’s black suede and it has a couple of colourful stitches. Now I’m going to go and get it.”
It’s the first time the 28-year-old has come to LET Q-School, after being on the reserve list for the last year’s edition.
With a 90-hole stroke-play competition up next, there is a lot of golf still to be played but Lira was pleased to gain some momentum.
She added: “I wanted to get some good momentum going for next week. It’s awesome to have a good round, but it’s preparation for next week. It’s about a good feeling with the swing and on the putting and watching them drop.
“This is my first time coming here. I felt like LET was calling me. Last year I came in a little late and I was on the waiting list. Coming from Mexico, it was not possible to travel being on the waiting list, so I decided not to go to Spain.
“This year, as soon as entries opened, I signed up. I thought, ‘I really want to go to Morocco and play. Even if I don’t get to play LET next year, at least I gave it a shot.’”
Follow all the action on @LETGolf and @letaccess on Instagram and Twitter and Ladies European Tour on Facebook – #RaiseOurGame #LETQSchool.
