PING

 

 Ladies European Tour 2018. Final Qualifying School, Amelkis Golf Club, Marrakech, Morocco. Tour school winner, Bronte Law of England. Credit: Tristan Jones

 

England’s Bronte Law posted a course record-equalling 10-under-par 62 in the third round of Lalla Aicha Tour School at Amelkis Golf Club on Tuesday, which included nine birdies in a row: an all-time record on the Ladies European Tour.

With a 54-hole total of 13-under-par 203 in the 90-hole marathon qualifier, Law ended the day a stroke ahead of Sweden’s Linnea Ström, who posted the 10-under at Amelkis in pre-qualifying last week.

Manon Gidali from France is three strokes further back on nine-under-par.

Law lowered by two the previous LET record for the number of consecutive birdies in a round and tied the total number of birdies, with 12.

The 23-year-old from Stockport said that her hot streak included a chip-in on hole seven and tap-ins on holes six and eight.

She said: “I made a good putt on the first hole, so I was pleased with that and then I made bogeys on three and four. Three was a tough pin and I just missed the green and didn’t get up and down, but four kind of irritated me. I was not far from the hole at all and I ended up three-putting. From there, it kick started. I made a birdie on the next hole and started hitting some really close ones. I had three tap-ins, which makes a difference. I started to see a couple of putts go in and once you see some putts go in, you believe that the lines you’re picking are good lines. It was nice to feel confident over the ball.”

Her new caddie, Jeff Brighton, from Scotland, provided significant motivation and she added: “Me and my caddie were bouncing off each other, saying, ‘What do I get if I make three more birdies?’ For every three in a row I get 40 dollars. So then, he was giving me some banter about it and I had three more. Then he said, ‘Well if we get to seven, we’ll start talking real money.’ Then he said, ‘If you get to nine, then we’ll start talking even more money.’ I said, ‘How much money are we talking here?’ He joked around with me, which always makes it easier out there.

“On the last three holes, he said: ‘For every birdie you make, I’ll give you £20.’ So I birdied two of the last three and made myself a little bit of money out there today. I would have made quite a lot of money in a skins game. It was good. 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. I played steady and it’s always nice to feel in control of your game.

“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 here was to use this as a good set-up for the year and to get to know each other.”