(Photo by Tristan Jones/LET)

There’s a new LET Order of Merit leader heading into the $285,000 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic.

By Kent Gray
Nuria Iturrios marked herself as an early favourite for the new-look Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic after clinching the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco for the second time in four years on Sunday to reach the summit of the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit standings.

The 23-year-old Spaniard waltzed to a seven-stroke victory over Swedes Caroline Hedwall and Lina Boqvist to back up her victory in 2016 as an LET rookie, also on the Blue Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.

Iturrios brings impressive form to the Faldo course for this week’s 54-hole Moonlight Classic Pro-Am. The Palma de Mallorca pro was the only player in Rabat to record four sub-par rounds after closing with a three-under 70 to finish 13-under-par for the championship.

“It’s amazing for me to win again here,” said Iturrios who tied for second in the Australian Ladies Open at Bonville Golf Resort earlier this year. “I’m so happy to be here and I hope to keep it going.”

With coach Jose Luis Palacios on her bag in Rabat, as he was in 2016, Iturrios leapfrogged Marianne Skarpnord atop of the OOM standings after the Norwegian finished in a four-way share of fourth. Iturrios also jumped 29 places up to ninth place on the European Solheim Cup points list, boosting her chances of qualification for the biennial transatlantic matches at Gleneagles in Scotland this September.

Boqvist took comfort from posting her career-best finish in five years on tour, moving up to fifth on the OOM, while Hedwall made a significant advancement up the Solheim Cup standings into fifth spot.

Esther Henseleit, who joined Skarpnord, Laura Fuenfstueck and Hannah Burke in the tie for fourth, went atop the Rookie-of-the-Year standings courtesy of her fourth top-10 finish in five starts this season. Swede Jenny Haglund capped her Lalla Meryem Cup title defence in style by posting a course-record nine-under-par 64, which included a hole-in-one, to tie for eighth place alongside Charlotte Thompson, Sarah Kemp and rookie Sian Evans.

Later in the day, Jorge Campillo completed a Spanish double when he won the European Tour’s Trophee Hassan II on the neighbouring Red course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam.