Bronte Law shot the lights out to move into sole lead after three rounds of the Ladies European Tour Final Qualifying tournament in Morocco but Leona Maguire stayed within arm's reach of the English golfer to also remain on course to secure one of the full tour cards on offer.
In a quite remarkable display, Law – who was on the same winning Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team as Maguire at Dún Laoghaire in 2016 – included an LET record of nine consecutive birdies in a sizzling round of 62 at Amelkis Golf Club in Marrakesh which saw her leapfrog to the top of the leaderboard after three of the five round marathon.
Law’s 62 for a 13-under-par total of 203 gave her a one-stroke lead over Sweden’s Linnea Strom, while Maguire shot a 70 for eight-under-par 208 to be in a four-way share of fourth place, five shots off Law’s mark.
The 24-year-old Co Cavan golfer had four birdies and two bogeys in her round, those dropped shot coming on the third and fourth holes, but she finished strongly with two birdies in her last four holes.
The top 60 players after the fourth round survive the cut into the fifth and final round on Thursday, after which the leading five players earn Category 5c membership of the LET, which would earn entry into the vast majority of events on the Ladies’ European Tour schedule. Those players finishing in positions six to 25 will earn Category 8 membership for next season, which would get entry into a sizeable number of tournaments.
Maguire remains very much on target to secure a full tour card, with destiny in her own hands three-fifths of the way through the qualifying tournament, but Law was the biggest mover of the third round with a career low round that included nine successive birdies from the fifth hole, including a chip-in on the seventh.
Law, 23, has a new caddie on her bag at Q-School. And Jeff Brighton, a Scot, tried to encourage his new employer down the homeward run by offering her money for every birdie she made.
“I was playing some good golf and I started to hole some putts, which can make a huge difference. I was pleased with how I played. It’s the first time we’ve worked together, but he’s going to be working for me next year, so part of the reason I brought him out was to use this as a good set-up for the year and to get to know each other.”
