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Scotland’s Sally Watson has earned a card for the 2014 Ladies European Tour after finishing in a tie for second at Q-School.
Edinburgh-born Watson, who graduated from Stanford University earlier this year, recovered from a slow start in the five-round shoot-out in Morocco to finish up with only Norway’s Caroline Martens ahead of her.
Watson, the former Scottish Girls Amateur champion and a one-time runner-up in the British Girls Amateur Strokeplay Championship, had opened up her card bid with a 73. She followed that up with rounds of 71 and 74 before an excellent 69 in round four thrust her back into contention.
Starting the final 18 holes in 17th place, she knew a big round was required to secure one of the ten cards on offer – and she duly obliged with a fantastic 68, a score bettered only by Martens, who shot a 64 to finish on 13-under-par, eight shots ahead of Watson and Germany’s Steffi Kirchmayr.
“4.30am … and I can’t sleep with excitement for the future!” – Sally Watson
Afterwards, the Scot, a two-time Curtis Cup player, took to Twitter to share her excitement at having full playing rights for next season, reserving special praise for her coach, Ian Muir.
She tweeted: “Thanks for all of your help these past few months #GreatCoach”
She also thanked her parents, saying: “#BestParentsEver Thanks for all of your love and support, couldn’t have done it without you two!”
Clearly still excited by her achievement, Watson later tweeted: “4:30am the morning after qualifying for the LET and I can’t sleep with excitement for the future! #LikeAKidAtChristmas.”
Sally Watson’s success at Q-School was in stark contrast to the fortunes of her fellow Scots, Kelsey MacDonald, Heather MacRae, Pamela Feggans and Michele Thomson, who all missed out on playing rights for the LET next season.
Sally Watson: The story so far
Born in 1991, Sally Watson started playing golf in 1994 and broke 100 for the first time in 2002. An honorary member of the Elie & Earlsferry Ladies Golf Club, she moved to Florida in 2006 where she attended the IMG Academy as a full-time student/athlete. She graduated from the IMG Pendleton School in 2008 and joined Stanford University on a golf scholarship in 2009 where she combined her golf development with a degree in International Relations. She graduated in June this year. Capped by Scotland at all levels, Sally Watson also made her major championship debut in this year’s US Women’s Open as an amateur befre turning professional in October.
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