Amy Boulden claimed top spot at the LET Qualifying School, at La Manga, in Spain, finishing three shots clear of the field after 108 holes. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

AMY Boulden will return to the Ladies European Tour in 2020 after winning the LET Q-School at La Manga Club.

The Welshwoman finished three strokes ahead of Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher and Scotland’s overnight co-leader Alison Muirhead.

Boulden, the 2014 LET Rookie of the Year, closed with a five-under par round of 68 on the South Course for a total of 10-under after five rounds.

The 26-year-old from Llandudno, in North Wales, whose career best finish in six years on tour was second in the 2014 Lacoste Ladies Open de France, had set a personal target of 12-under for the marathon examination at the annual LET Qualifying School.

But the daughter of Maesdu Golf Club pro Simon Boulden was happy with her score, especially after a week of changeable and challenging weather conditions.

Boulden said: “I’m relieved. It’s always a tough week coming back to Q-School.

“I decided to play a bit on the Symetra Tour last year and didn’t manage to keep my LET card from the six events in which I played, so I was always planning to come back.

“I love playing in Europe, but you feel a bit of extra pressure once you’ve had your card and then lose it.

“It’s a big relief to have it,” added the former Welsh amateur international, who played in the 2012 Curtis Cup a year after playing in the Junior Solheim Cup.

“I’ve done quite a lot of swing work over the last year or so and I didn’t actually feel like I had my game today.

“I know I shot a good score but my iron-play wasn’t quite there. I putted well and I feel like all areas of my game are getting better and it’s just about confidence now.

“Hopefully I can kick on from here,” said the 2008 BBC Young Sportswoman of the Year.

Simmermacher, 23, from Buenos Aires, will become the second Argentinian member of the LET after sealing second spot, based on the best last 18 holes, with her final round of 68.

The 2019 LET Access Series player said: “I can’t believe it. I hit the ball well all week. Every single part of my game was good and I just kept trusting it. It’s really exciting that I’m going to play a full season.”

Muirhead, who topped the field in Pre-Qualifying at La Manga, which was her first tournament as professional, ended with a 71 to take the third card.

The 21-year-old Scot, who lives in Dubai, said: “It feels amazing. I never expected this to be the outcome.

To do last week and this week and finish first and second, I’m really pleased.

“It’s been a long two weeks and I’m excited for the tour and feel like I’m ready to be playing.

“Today, I didn’t have my A game, but I kept it together and sunk some big putts, which gave me a lot of confidence coming into the last five holes.

“Amy played spectacularly and it was amazing to watch and be part of it,” added the former Fresno State University player, who won the Emirates Junior Open back to back, in 2015 and 2016.

The 2020 season gets under way with the Australian Ladies Classic Bonville in New South Wales, on February 20.

•To see the full LET 2020 tournament schedule, which will feature 24 events offering a total of €18million in prize money click here.

Alice Hewson finished in fifth place at La Manga to take the fifth and final full LET card for the expanded 2020 season. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

Hewson happy as earns her rights

BERKHAMSTED’S Ladies European Amateur Champion Alice Hewson took the final category 5c spot in fifth place on five-under to claim her full card for 2020 at LET Q-School.

Curtis Cup player Hewson, who played in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Championship in April, said: “It was really good out there.

“I got off to a really solid start and finally started holing some putts in the middle of the round,” said Hewson, who had climbed into the lead after three rounds in Murica, thanks to an eagle at the 18th on the South Course.

“I had a couple of interesting holes coming in, but I stuck to my game plan the whole time and was aggressive coming down 18. I pulled it off.

“On 18, I had 200 to the pin, but I had a slight mudball, so I was between whether to go for it or not.

Hewson’s debut in LET Access WPGA International

“I decided to go for it and hit a three-wood about 35 yards right of the green, under a tree and over a bunker – so it was a challenging third shot.

“But I hit it to 45 feet and then nearly holed the putt, so it was good.

“It’s really special to get my full card, especially this year, with how many events the LET have got this year.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity and I’m excited to get travelling.”

Switzerland’s Metraux sisters claim their cards along with 14 more in category 8A

SWITZERLAND’D Kim Metraux, whose younger sister Morgane qualified in 14th spot, finished fourth on six-under-par after a closing 69.

Kim said that she had come to Q-School without any expectations.

“I have a status on the Symetra Tour, which gave me some relief that I knew I could play next year no matter what.

“It was good to be stress-free and I was quite relaxed during the round and focused on my game. It’s great to know that my sister qualified, too.”

The 15 players who qualified in category 8a include Surrey’s LPGA player Charlotte Thomas, Norway’s Maiken Bing Paulsen, Germany’s Sarina Schmit, Carolin Kauffmann and Sophie Hausmann, South Africa’s Casandra Danielle Hall and Monique Smit, Swaziland’s Nobuhle Dlamini France’s, Anne-Charlotte Mora , Pia Babnik from Slovenia, Filippa Moork from Sweden, Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux, Iceland’s Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir, Finland’s Tiia Koivisto and Eun Jung Ji from Korea.

Smit secured the 20^th card with a birdie four on the second extra hole after a four-way play-off on the 18th against France’s Manon Gidali, Germany’s Leonie Harm, and Spanird Mireia Prat.

•To see the final results including the order the above players finished in at LET Q-School, which will determine the ranking for their cards, click here.

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Wales’ Amy Boulden is joint leader with Scotland’s Alison Muirhead after four rounds of the LET Qualifying School at La Manga. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

AMY Boulden and Alison Muirhead share the lead heading into the final round of the Ladies European Tour’s Qualifying School at Spain’s La Manga Club.

The leaders are tied on five-under par after four rounds, including two rounds on the North and South Courses respectively.

They are one stroke ahead of Surrey’s Curtis Cup player Charlotte Thomas, who played on the LPGA Tour last season after two seasons on the Symetra

All the action will come a gripping climax in Sunday’s final round, to be played over the South Course.

The top five players will earn LET membership – offering entrance into virtually all of the 24 tournaments on the expanded 2020 LET schedule which will offer €18 million prize money for the first time.

Boulden, the 2014 Rookie of the Year, is looking to regain her LET card after a year on the Symetra Tour – the LPGA’s feeder tour.

The 26-year-old from Llandudno, in Wales, moved into a share of the lead with a brilliant four-under 67 on the North Course, where she also shot 67 in the second round.

Boulden said: “Today the putts went in. The last three rounds I’ve not putted that great.

“I think it was the second round where I shot four-under, but didn’t make any putts.

“I played really good, but didn’t really hole anything to shoot four-under. Today, I didn’t hit it as close, but holed more putts.”

“I do really like the North course, although we are playing the South tomorrow. I do like the South Course as well. They are both really different and are great tests of golf.

“La Manga Club is amazing. I have been here over the years quite a lot,” Boulden added.

“I played in the European’s here years ago and have been here for a couple of pro-ams the last few years, so I know the courses pretty well.

“The complex is lovely, there are loads of places to eat, everyone is very friendly and considering the weather we had just before we started this week, they did an incredible job to get it ready for us.”

Alison Muirhead will be hoping to earn a full card by finishing inside the top five on Sunday at La Manga. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

After a tough third round of 77 on the North Course, co-leader Muirhead was delighted to bounce back with a bogey-free three-under-par round of 70 on the South.

The 21-year-old Scot, who has been based in Dubai, said: “It was really steady today and I enjoyed it. The conditions altered during the round so it was good to keep it steady and hit a lot of greens.

“I just kept lipping out for birdie, so it was very nice to see the ball rolling close today and to bounce back, especially after yesterday. I’m very pleased.

“I’m feeling really good heading into tomorrow. It’s obviously another day, but I feel like my putter is working well,” added the former Fresno State University player.

“I didn’t hole as many putts today, but you obviously save them for the next day, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” added the winner of last week’s pre-qualifier.

Surrey’s LPGA ace Charlotte Thomas wants an LET card to help her quest to earn a Solheim Cup spot in 2021. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

Thomas wants card to help in her quest for Solheim Cup place in 2021

THE best round of the day belonged to Charlotte Thomas, who shot a five-under 68 on the South.

The 26-year-old from Guildford, played for two years on the Symetra Tour and a year on the LPGA. Her best finish was second in last year’s ISPS Handa Vic Open in Australia, in February.

said: “I’ve played solid for the last three days and today I finally got some putts to drop and got some momentum going. I made some birdies, so it was really fun.

“I had a bit of a momentum swing on the ninth, because I was one-under through eight and then on nine, I missed the green from 90 yards and I chipped in for birdie and then I went birdie, birdie, on 10 and 11.

“That could easily have been a par or a soft bogey, but it turned into a birdie and gave me some momentum and I was able to carry it through. I feel like that was the turning point.”

Thomas, who has spent time living in Australia, having been educated in Singapore, has a full LPGA card for 2020 after finishing 71st on the Race to CMBE Globe.

The 26-year-old is at LET Q-School with a view to becoming eligible to represent Europe in the Solheim Cup.

“Last year, I didn’t have LET membership, so I wasn’t even in contention to be able to be picked for it,” said Thomas, who played for GB&I against the USA in 2016.

“I thought to myself, I better go and get my LET card and see what happens. That’s the two-year goal and it would be amazing to play,” added Thomas who helped University of Washington win its first NCAA Division 1 National Championship in 2016

“Watching it at Gleneagles, I was in Australia and watching it at 2am in the morning and running around the house screaming, so it was amazing to see that and so inspiring/

“It made me want to be out there and do that even more,” said the West Surrey GC member.

“I’m going to try and play in as many events as I can this year, to get as many points as I can. I’ll play a bit of both tours, LET and LPGA.

“The new LET schedule is amazing, it’s so cool. It’s so exciting and good for women’s golf to see that.

“I have played in a few LET events here and there in the past but to see that kind of growth is amazing.”

Charlotte Thomas target the top

Buckinghamshire’s Rachel Drummond, whose round included a hole-in-one on the South Course’s 12th hole, made the cut on the number.

She was one of 65 players at 10-over-par or better to advance to the final round.

Players finishing from sixth to 20th position will be eligible for membership in category 8a, which will offer entry into a lower number of tournaments over the coming year.

Players who have made the 72-hole cut to the leading 60 and ties and finished in position 21st and below, will be ranked according to score and be eligible for membership in category 9b.

Players that failed to make the cut after 72 holes, will be eligible for category 12a.

•For live scoring at the LET Q-School’s final round click here.

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