Ines Laklalech is a name that’s quickly becoming synonymous with Arab Golf excellence. She’s been making waves in the Arab Golf community for the past few years, and her star is only just starting to rise. Over the last couple of years, Ines has broken several records in the history of Arab Golf and has become the first Arab to win on a major golf circuit. Let’s take a closer look at the incredible rise of Ines to stardom.
Ines was born on October 30, 1997; raised in Casablanca, Morocco. Her father introduced her to golf at a young age, she then started playing at the royal Golf D’Anfa in Casablanca. Ines showed a remarkable talent for the sport from a very early age, and by the time she was just 12, she got selected to represent the Moroccan national team. She went on to represent her country in several African Championships and played in the Pan Arab Championship at the World Women’s Amateur Team Championship in both 2016 and 2018.
Throughout her amateur career, Ines showed immense potential, participating in several competitions and emerging victorious in many of them. Some of her most notable amateur wins include the Arab Ladies Championship in 2018, the Moroccan Championship in 2019, and the Grand Prix Mohammedia 2020.
Next big step was when she decided to compete in the 2021 European Ladies Tour Q-school, finishing T15 earned her a card and full status on LET for the 2022. 2022 marked her first season as a professional golfer on the European Tour, and what a year it was! She was only the second Arab to play on the LET after her Moroccan compatriot Maga Haddoui, in the first pro year, Ines became the first Arab to win on a Major tour. Winning the 2022 Lacoste Ladies Open de France was the turning point in her golf career and perhaps the turning point in all Arab golf history. There is a clear distinction between before and after Ines’ historic win. In her first year as a pro and the first season on the LET, Ines played in 17 tournaments, with four top ten finishes and a win.
Ines’ ascent to the throne of Arab golf didn’t stop there. In 2022, she decided to pursue her dream and play in the qualifying rounds for the LPGA card, playing at all the stages. Ines advanced through all three stages of LPGA Qualifying; she tied for 25th in Stage I and tied for 33rd in Stage II. In the final Q-Series, she did what no Arab had done before by becoming the first to obtain an LPGA card for the 2023 season, finishing T9 in the qualifying.
What most people don’t know is that the qualifying school was held at the same time as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco managed to reach the semi-finals. The achievement of the Moroccan football team in the World Cup surely gave Ines one of the biggest emotional and psychological pushes that helped her achieve her dream of earning an LPGA card. Soon after qualifying, Ines flew straight to Qatar to watch the semi-final match between Morocco and France.
With the start of the 2023 season, Ines was fully prepared to make history on the biggest stage of ladies golf in the world, the LPGA. Having earned a full membership card, Ines is now eligible to play in full field events. On April 14th, she became the first Arab to make the cut on the LPGA, playing in the Lotte Championship. Although she finished the tournament T61, Ines made enough progress to make the cut in the following event last week, where she became the first Arab to finish inside the top 50 in an LPGA tournament. So far in her 2023 season, Ines has played in four LPGA tournaments, made the cut in two, and is currently ranked 13th on the year’s Rockies list.
For Ines, the future looks even brighter. She has so much more to achieve, and her dreams are big. In the near future, one of the goals will be contending for titles on the LPGA tour, as well as earning invites to play in major championships. Her trailblazing of golf in the Arab world is just getting started, and its impact will undoubtedly be felt in the coming years.
