Scotland’s Heather MacRae is looking forward to the inaugural Saudi Ladies International event on the LET later this month, after beating cancer. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

SCOTTISH pro Heather MacRae celebrated International Women’s Day by sharing her cancer ordeal.

Almost exactly a year ago to the day, MacRae’s world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

Since then, she has gone on to win the 2019 Women’s PGA Professional Championship – held just two weeks before her surgery.

In turn, the 37-year-old topped the points table to earn her place on the Great Britain & Ireland team for the inaugural Women’s PGA Cup against America, Canada, Sweden, which was held at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, in October.

On International Women’s Day, on March 6, MacRae is looking forward to playing on an invite in the Ladies European Tour’s inaugural Saudi Ladies International later this month.

The new event – one of four on the LET’s 2020 schedule – takes place at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, from March 19-22 – and MacRae can look forward to playing on Tour again after recovering from surgery to remove the cancer cells.

MacRae, who is attached to Gleneagles, said: “You don’t ever think this kind of thing will happen to you and it’s not something you can prepare for – or know how you will react.

“It still amazes me how I dealt with the diagnosis as it was in a week where I was hosting a couple of golf days for International Women’s Day.

“Maybe it was because I was so focused on those being a success that it didn’t properly sink in for a while.”

McRae, who plays on the LET Access Series, also believes her coaching responsibities with also helped her cope with her fight with the Big C.

Heather, who won the 2007 British Ladies Strokeplay Championship before turning pro after that summer, added: “The girls coaching I do was a great distraction for me because you just want them to see a happy, positive role model and it helped me in keeping my head up.”

And when not coaching, playing, or preparing to play was the best medicine for the Stirling golfer, who won the Scottish Girls Championship in 2001.

“After the initial diagnosis, I would always be looking to see what tournament I could play,” added Heather McRae, “so that I always had a goal or something to aim for – something to give me a purpose.

“I would practice whatever I was able to practice – sometimes it was only putting, sometimes mental skills, sometimes only dreaming about playing tournaments again.”

‘Good news’ after cancer treatment

And the good news is that after treament, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Heather MacRae.

“I had my latest check-up just yesterday, one year on from the diagnosis. It was a good result, I am happy.

“To think where I was this time last year and now I am going to be playing the Aramco Saudi Ladies International – the biggest event on the LET outside the majors this year – is quite amazing.

“I have been working so hard on my golf and I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. But I am just excited to be back playing on the LET this year knowing I will enjoy every minute of it.

“Everyone faces struggles and difficult times – you can’t compare yours to anyone else’s because to you, it’s yours that affect you the most.

“You can always try to help yourself, always try and do things just a little better each day.

“Set goals, big goals, then just try and chip away at them piece by piece.

“Some days are better than others. You will achieve more, but if you can make a tiny bit of progress even on the bad days, you can get there.

But her most simple messaged was: “Don’t ever give up.”

•Find out more about the field at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International by clicking here.

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Scotland’s Carly Booth won the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open – her first win in seven years – despite a rollercoaster last round. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

SCOTLAND’S Carly Booth ended a seven-year wait for her third Ladies European Tour title with victory in the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open.

Booth carded rounds of 68, 69 and 70 for a 54-hole total of 207, nine-under-par, to win by one at Golf Resort Karlštejn.

Booth won both of her previous titles in 2012, at the Scottish and Swiss Opens, and was overwhelmed with emotion when she realised that she had posted the winning total.

After completing her final round, she asked a photographer what the leading score was and then how many people were on it.

He said: “Just you – you’ve won,” and she burst into tears.

“It was probably just as well I didn’t know what the situation was,” Booth admitted afterwards.

“I’m a little bit flabbergasted by the whole day. I played good golf and I really had to dig deep in the final round. I’m overwhelmed with happiness.

“It’s been seven years, so it’s a bit of a shock. Not knowing what the winning score was, I didn’t know anything about the leaderboard and I made a really solid par in the end.

“It’s a country that I love to visit, I’ve had some great results here in the Czech Republic in pro-ams and to win the tournament means more than anything.

“After seven years, finally, to get another victory, it’s amazing.”

Booth’s topsy-turvy round included seven birdies and five bogeys, having begun the final round tied for the lead with Nuutinen on seven-under.

But a nervy start saw her first drive go right, out of bounds, and then dropped three shots in her first four holes.

However, she produced a gutsy fightback with brilliant birdies on the fifth, seventh and ninth holes, to make the turn in level par, regaining a share of the lead.

At the fifth, she made a birdie putt from eight feet and then on the par-five seventh, she holed a massive left to right breaking putt from 20 feet, before hitting a punch wedge in to five feet at the ninth and converting the putt.

She took the outright advantage after birdies on the 11^th and 13^th holes, playing a five-iron shot into within six feet of the flag on the 11^th and then chipping in on the long 13^th

Back-to-back bogeys, followed even though she made a great up-and-down from 54 yards on the 15^th.

Her game plan was to birdie each of the final three holes and Carly managed two further gains, on the 16^th and 17^th, before finishing with a par on the last.

At the end of the round the new champion asked her caddie, Andy Carter, the golf professional at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai: “Have I just played golf, or been at Alton Towers?

“I never want to go on a rollercoaster again.”

Booth, originally from Comrie in Perthshire, headed home to Manchester straight after the tournament to celebrate over the Bank Holiday with her friends.

The Scot finished a stroke ahead of Finland’s Sanna Nuutinen, France’s Anais Meysonnier and English pair Charlotte Thompson and Hayley Davis , in the dual-ranking event with the LET Access Series.

Germany’s Olivia Cowan ended in sixth place and amateur Patricie Mackova was the leading Czech player in a share of 12^th.

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Wallasey’s Rachael Goodall completed her second LET Access Series in the Ribiera Sacra Partimonio de la Humanidad International Ladies Open in Spain after shooting a 61 – the lowest score in the Tour’s history.

CHESHIRE’S Rachael Goodall followed up her record breaking score in LET Access Series history by winning the Ribiera Sacra Partimonio de la Humanidad International Ladies Open – her second career win.

She claimed a two-shot victory over Italy’s Lucrezia Colombotto Rozzo, playing with her in the last group as the final pair both posted two-under par rounds of 68.

Goodall made a nervy start to the final round with a bogey on the first. But the edgy beginning didn’t last long however as the 28-year-old quickly found her form with birdies on the third and fifth to move under par for the day – and reach the halfway point at 10-under.

The overnight leader reached 11-under par to seal her victory, following a breath-taking second round of 61 by the Liverpool fan, who clearly has been taking inspiration by her Anfield heroes’ Champions League victory in May.

Colombotto Rosso reached the turn even par for the day, falling further behind Goodall at the midway point.

After a bogey at the second and then crucially at the fifth, where Goodall birdied, the Italian’s chances were looking slim.

The young Italian did not give up and rallied at the end of the front nine with consecutive birdies at holes eight and nine to claw her way back into contention – three adrift of leader Goodall.

On the back nine, Colombotto Rosso exhibited more of the fine golf she’s played throughout the week with no dropped shots and birdies at 11 and 14 seeing the 23-year-old home with a two-under 68, –9 for the tournament.

It was not to be for the young Italian however as Wallasey’s Goodall held her form down the stretch, matching her playing partner’s final round of 68.

The win was Goodall’s second LET Access Series win following success at the Turfman Allerum Open, in Sweden, last year.

The 28-year-old was understandably delighted to record a second victory in as many years on the tour.

Goodall said: “I’m really pleased that I’m able to back up my win here last year – and it’s even more special because I’ve never been leading going into the final day.

Rachael said that her putting was the key, adding: “ I played well last week but I didn’t hole anything. I worked really hard on it and made a couple of changes going into this week – and they worked.”

The win was made even more special as the Cheshire-based golfer – now in her sixth season as a pro – recorded a stunning nine-under round of 61 in the second round at Augus Santas – the lowest score in LET Access Series history.

Goodall revealed: “I lost count on the back nine – I had no idea I’d shot 61 but that was really special. I hit a lot of good shots and holed everything.

“I missed one short one but holed everything I had on the back nine,” added the former England Golf performance squad member.

•The LET Access Series remains in Spain this week with the Santander Golf Tour LETAS Valencia 2019 taking place from July 17-19 at the Club de Golf Escorpion.

The event will see the best from the LET Access Series in the field with players of the Santander Tour playing for a prize fund of €35,000 and crucial points in the Race to LaLaurgue up for grabs.

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Spain’s Noemi Jimenez Martin who led the 2018 LET Access Series Order of Merit. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

THE LET Access Series (LETAS) will field the strongest schedule in its history as it celebrates its 10^th year in 2019 – including a new Road to Largue with a new tour championship at the season’s conclusion.

The series will feature 20 tournaments in nine countries across Europe, an increase from 13 last year including a first male and female event running concurrently, in conjunction with the Alps Tour, in St Malo, in July.

Total prize money also sees a significant increase to more than €1million, up from €590,000 in 2018.

An exciting development for the 2019 LETAS season will see the top 55 players updated after each event throughout the series in a season-long campaign called the “Road to La Largue.”

The brand-new format sees the newly added La Largue Ladies Championship installed as the season finale, with a prize fund of €80,000.

There are five Ladies European Tour (LET) cards and 15 places to the final stage of the LET Tour School to play for in the tour’s closing event at Golf Club de La Largue.

The leading 55 players on the Order of Merit battling it out for the coveted prizes on the beautiful French course from October 4-6.

Other headline events include the Jabra Ladies Open and the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. The pair will be dual ranking events with the LET and boast record prize funds of €150,000 and €120,000 respectively.

The Jabra Ladies Open, the European qualifier for The Evian Championship, will again be held at Evian Resort Golf Course in France, on May 23-25, while the newly added Czech event takes place later in the calendar, from August 23-25, at Golf Resort Karlštejn, near Prague.

The LET Access Series season begin in France today, with the Terre Blanche Ladies Open at the stunning Golf de Terre Blanche, near Nice, and ends on April 7, before heading to Switzerland for the VP Bank Ladies Open, to be played once again at the picturesque Gams-Werdenberg Golf Club, from May 3-5.

The series remains in Switzerland for the Neuchatel Ladies Championship, from May 15-17, with the players competing at the Neuchatel Golf & Country Club, set amid the Alps.

The opening events will provide the perfect opportunity for the players to prepare ahead of the Jabra Ladies Open the following week.

The tour then makes its way to the Nordic region for the Viaplay Ladies Finnish Open at Messilä Golf in Lahti, followed a week later by the Skaftö Open in neighbouring Sweden, which boats a €50,000 prize fund.

From here, the LETAS heads south to France for the Montauban Ladies Open – an exciting new event for 2019. Taking place from June 20-22, the players will set about tackling the stunning oak-lined course at the Golf de Montauban l’Estang, with a €40,000 prize fund to play for.

The players then end the month by taking on the Belfius Ladies Open, which will be played at the prestigious Cleydael Golf & Country Club in Aartselaar, Belgium from June 27-29.

July sees further innovation for the LET Access Series with the inclusion of a mixed event, the Saint Malo Golf Mixed Open in France, from July 4-7.

Held in conjunction with the Alps Tour where many of Europe’s rising stars in the male game play, the groundbreaking tournament will feature 72 LETAS and 72 Alps Tour players competing for an equal prize fund of €45,000 in what is one of very few events of this nature in golf.

The series then moves to Spain once again for the Ribeira Sacra Patrimonio de la Humanidad International Ladies Open at the Augas Santas Balneario & Golf Resort (July 11-13), before the players tackle the Santander Golf Tour LETAS Valencia, held at Club de Golf Escorpion, from July 17-19.

The LET Access Series then ventures to the Czech Republic for the Czech Ladies Challenge at Golf Resort Konopiště before revisiting the Anna Nordqvist Västerås Open, held at Sweden’s Västerås Golf Club, from August 8 -10.

Moving on to France, the Bossey Ladies Championship will be played for the third year at Association of Golf & Country Club de Bossey, followed by the Scandic PGA Championship in Sweden. The two events take place either side of the headline €120,000 Tipsport Czech Ladies Open.

The LET Access Series then draws to a close with the returning WPGA International Challenge held again at Essex’s Stoke by Nayland Hotel Golf & Spa, from September 12-14, before the penultimate tournament the Rügenwalder Mühle Ladies Open, takes place near Bremen in Germany.

LETAS tour director Di Barnard said: “I am delighted to present our strongest schedule to date, with 20 tournaments played from April until October and a total prize fund of just over €1 million euros.

“We launched back in 2010, initially with only three events, but with the belief that it was very important to provide a stepping stone for young players starting out on their professional journey.”

“The tour has grown from strength to strength, which has only been possible with the tremendous support we have received from our host federations, PGA’s, promoters, sponsors and venues.

“Enormous thanks go to everyone who has been involved in our development and continues to help us grow and provide valuable strong playing opportunities for young women professionals and elite amateurs.”

The LET Access Series (LETAS) is the official developmental tour to the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the competitive international circuit is a key part of the organisation’s development pathway.

All female professional golfers and amateurs with a handicap of 2 or better are eligible for membership of LETAS providing they are 18 years of age.

More than 240 professional and 130 elite amateur golfers compete in tournaments during the year, facilitating a smooth transition between the amateur and professional game and providing high-level playing opportunities and experience.

Former LETAS tournament winners who have achieved success on the Ladies European Tour include the 2017 LETAS Order of Merit winner, Meghan MacLaren, who is already a two-time winner on the LET and Sweden’s Jenny Haglund, the 2018 LET Lalla Meryem Cup champion.

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