It’s been nine years since Caroline Masson won the Ladies European Tour’s Qualifying School, at La Manga Club, in Spain. In that time, the current world no.19 has made a significant impact, from representing Europe in The 2015 Solheim Cup in her home country to flying the German flag in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, along with her compatriot Sandra Gal, the world no.27.
Now, almost a decade on, seven German players are teeing up in the Final Stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School, played over two courses, Amelkis Golf Club and Palm Golf Ourika, in Marrakesh, Morocco, looking to follow Masson’s example and secure full status on the Ladies European Tour in 2019.
Esther Henseleit, a member of the 2017 European PING Junior Solheim Cup team, leads the way at No.10 on the World Golf Amateur Ranking. She is joined by fellow Golf Team Germany members Sophia Zeeb and Sarina Schmidt.
Henseleit said: “It was great to be with the other players from different countries in a team together at the PING Junior Solheim Cup and we also watched the professionals playing. I think it’s a big goal for everyone here to be in The Solheim Cup one day. It’s also been good to see the German players do well on tour, as that’s provided huge inspiration for us. This week, we all just want to play well and do the best we can. We’ve all had great amateur careers but now it’s time for a change.”
Schmidt attended The 2015 Solheim Cup in Germany and she added: “It was a great event and I think it was nice to see two German players participating in such a huge event. It was a huge inspiration.”
Zeeb was not at The 2015 Solheim Cup, as she was studying Business Marketing and International Business at Arizona State University in the United States, but seeing Caroline Masson and Sandra Gal play on tour has provided ample motivation.
They are not the only German players in the field of 115, chasing 25 cards over five rounds of competition this week.
Carolin Kauffmann, Verena Gimmy, Luisa Dittrich and Katharina Keilich are also looking to earn their places. If successful, all seven players will have played in a total of nine qualifying rounds after surviving two stages at Lalla Aicha Tour School for 2019.
