Moroccan golfer Ines Laklalech aims to inspire at ‘special’ Saudi Ladies International

JEDDAH: Young Moroccan golfer Ines Laklalech is counting down to what promises to be a “special” professional debut when she becomes only the second Arab woman ever to compete as a full member on the Ladies European Tour at this week’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International, presented by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund.

The 24-year-old player from Casablanca earned her 2022 tour card in December, despite managing just 15 amateur tournaments in a pandemic-hit two-year spell as she sought to secure her place at women’s golf’s top table.

Now she has achieved that dream, sport-obsessed Laklalech is ready to make her mark in what will be her maiden event as a full professional at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, near Jeddah.

She will seek to finish as high up the leaderboard as possible and also inspire the next generation of Arab girls across the world who she believes – like her – have greater opportunity than ever before to chase their own ambitions.

Laklalech, who has a bachelor’s degree in management science from University College London, said: “I’m so happy to be playing the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF this week. I didn’t play in Kenya (the LET’s first event of 2022) so it’s my first tournament of the season.

“The Saudi Ladies International was actually the first LET event I played as an amateur back in 2020 – and I made the cut. So this will be my second LET tournament, in the same place as the first, but this time as a professional.

“In 2020 it was a great, great tournament and experience. I loved it – particularly because it was in an Arab country, which to me made it even more special. This time I know what to expect a little more, and I’m very, very