Final Qualifying

Bel Wardle said it “will be like a dream” to make her AIG Women’s Open debut after securing her place via Final Qualifying on Monday.

The Prestbury golfer [above] posted a four-under-par 68 at St Annes Old Links – matched only by Manon de Roey – to book a spot at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

A front-nine 32, the joint-best of the day, laid the foundations for Bel’s momentous round, with one last birdie on 17 giving her an ultimately unassailable score.

“It was tough out there but I got on a birdie run which gave me something to fall back on for the back nine,” said Bel, who has recently overcome nerve damage to her left elbow.

“I’ve had a couple of years where I went off form, but I’ve definitely got it in me to shoot a low score. And this year has been really solid.

“I’m just so pleased. I knew I had this game in me, I’ve just not been holing any putts.”

She continued: “I’ve only played Lytham once … although I have also played it on a simulator!

“It will be like a dream to play in the AIG Women’s Open.”

Bel was comfortably in the clubhouse by the time de Roey – in the final group – finished her round.

The Belgian’s only blip was a dropped shot on the par-3 3rd, but she responded with birdies on 5, 6 and 7. Another birdie on 12 pushed her to three-under, a tally which would have been good enough to qualify for Royal Lytham.

Three-time LET winner de Roey [above, right] made certain, finishing her round with a birdie on 18 to join Wardle at the top of the tree.

“I came to walk the course here last night after coming from the Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald," she said.

“I walked 18 holes with my caddie at 7:30pm as I didn’t want to go blind into this course. We made a game plan, mainly to avoid bunkers, and I think we did a good job.”

It will be de Roey’s seventh straight appearance at the AIG Women’s Open, having made her debut at Royal Troon in 2020 – and has made the cut on her last two appearances.

“I love the Championship,” she added. “It’s really testing for your skills. In Scotland last week, I tried some new shots to keep it low below the wind on the links.”

English amateur Lauren Crump was among the five players who qualified on three-under-par.

The 17-year-old, who cites Lottie Woad as an inspiration, put together a solid front nine with two birdies and no dropped shots and finished strongly, too, picking up strokes at 16 and 17.

“It’s going to be my first major,” said Lauren. “Last year, I was like ‘wouldn’t it be great if I played at Lytham’ so I’m really excited.

“Whenever we’ve been away on holiday, we might come up here and play a few courses. I’ve played Lytham a few times so it’s kind of nostalgic.”

Australian rookie Justice Bosio [above] – playing on a links course for the first time in three years – also finished on three-under and she too will make her major bow at Royal Lytham.

“It’s really exciting,” she said.

“I’ve just come back from three weeks off at home. Previously, I had some good form with a tied-second at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open and tied-fifth at the Dutch Ladies Open. I had confidence in my game.

“Where I struggle sometimes on links courses is creativity, but I visualised all my shots pretty well.”

Annabell Fuller, Vanessa Bouvet and Carla Tejedo Mulet [below] were the other golfers to finish on three-under, with the latter confirming her spot in dramatic fashion by eagling the 18th to jump into a tie for second:

With 13 places available into the Thursday’s opening round, the eight players who finished on two-under-par were forced into a play-off for the remaining six berths.

Anna Foster [below] was the first of the eight to progress courtesy of a birdie on the first extra hole. It is the third time the Irishwoman has made it through Final Qualifying, following similar success in 2023 and 2025.

“I was definitely thinking about those previous occasions and the positive memories,” she said.

“You don’t need to be perfect to get through, you can plot your way round, and I tried to remind myself of that. It’s quite a tough and stressful day and I just tried to keep it simple.

“It’s exciting to play again in the AIG Women’s Open. Each time I’ve played I’ve got a bit more experience and I feel like I belong there more.”