The 2021 Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School was hosted at La Manga Golf Resort in Spain and expectedly Georgia Oboh was the only Nigerian and the only Black African lady that participated in the event.
Interestingly, the Nigerian international golf sensation achieved membership in Category 15 for the 2022 season after a gruelling 10 rounds of golf.
Without equivocation, it was admitted that the Category 15 feat was a better status than she had last season as she was very pleased about her performance while the qualifying school exercise lasted.
Most Interestingly, Geoffrey Oboh, the caddy/father was on ground as always to give a graphic detail of all that transpired on the course.
According to him, the trip to La Manga Golf Resort began for Georgia in the middle of November when she arrived at the club to begin preparations.
The first stage got underway in December 9-12 with four rounds of golf played on two golf courses North and South on alternate days in which Georgia excelled and ended second place in a field of 150 ladies; Georgia also shot her career best round of 66.
Mr Oboh revealed that Georgia was the only black competitor in the field in which there was no cut; all competitors played the full four rounds to qualify for week two .
However, Georgia went on to play in the Pro-Am on the next day as all players finishing in the the top 20 had to play in the pro am event .
In week two, she was also the only black professional in a field of 128 players from 30 countries which was cut to 65 players and ties after four rounds.
At the end, American Gabriella Then produced a blistering final round of 67 (-6) to win the Final Qualifier at LET Q-School by four shots.
The 26-year-old has unbelievably spent two weeks at La Manga Club getting to know the North and South Courses as she came through Pre-Qualifying in a tie for 10th place.
I’m very happy and tired, it’s been two very long weeks,” said the 26-year-old, “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, I’ve never played on the LET so I didn’t know what the competition was going to be like.
Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson, finished in second place on eight-under-par having shot rounds of 73, 71, 67, 70 and 72 this week.
France’s Manon Gidali, 28 and England’s Meghan MacLaren 27, finished in a share of fourth place on five-under-par with Czech amateur Sara Kouskova 21, in sixth.
One shot further back was Sweden’s Linn Grant 22 and Germany’s Sophie Hausmann 24, were T7 with Spaniard Paz Marfa Sans, Wales’ Becky Brewerton 30 and Switzerland’s Anais Maggetti rounding out the top 10.
German amateur Sophie Witt finished 12th alongside Spain’s Marta Sanz Barrio and Finland’s Emily Penttila, with Elena Hualde (Spain), Charlotte Liautier (France), Ines Laklalech (Morocco) and Hazel MacGarvie (Scotland) in T15 on level-par.
Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta ended the tournament on one-over-par as did Germany’s Leticia Ras-Anderica, France’s Anne-Charlotte Mora, Sweden’s Josefine Nyqvist and Scotland’s Laura Beveridge.
Summarily, a total of 23 players secured Category 11 membership for 2022 while 28 players clinched Category 15 membership.
Georgia, finished week two in a tie for 32nd position and gained a Category 15 membership.
The competitors battled the two weeks with typical winter conditions of blustery winds and rain and cold conditions.
Georgia was the youngest and the only black lady in the field to achieve the final cut and gain a card for the 2022 season on the Ladies European Tour.
Mr Oboh concluded by further revealing that Georgia would be one of only two black ladies on tour in the 2022 season with the other one being Nobuhle Dlamini from Swaziland , seven white South Africans and two Moroccans making up the Africans on the Ladies European Tour .
