Two weeks after Nataliya Guseva earned her LPGA card at Q-Series, the Russian-born player headed to Morocco on a quest for Ladies European Tour status. Guseva didn’t just earn a second tour card, she dominated the field, winning the 2024 Lalla Aicha Q-School by four shots.
Guseva, 20, closed with a 69 to finish at 23-under 340 over five rounds. A winner on the Epson Tour in 2023 at the Black Desert Resort Championship, Guseva became the first player from Russia to earn LPGA status on Dec. 5 when she tied for 23rd at LPGA Q-Series.
“It’s amazing,” said Guseva, who played collegiate golf at the Univeristy of Miami. “It’s crazy that I came here already with my LPGA tour card and then just coming here and winning LET Q-School, it’s something I have always dreamed of.”
Glory for Guseva 🎉
Nataliya Guseva finishes no.1 at Final Stage – Lalla Aicha Q-School 🇲🇦#RaiseOurGame | #LETQSchool pic.twitter.com/H8EF7X1r44
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) December 20, 2023
The Russian flag does not appear by Guseva’s name on the LPGA and LET websites because of International Olympic Committee guidelines. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, individuals who qualify from Russia will compete as neutral athletes. No flag, anthem or colors from Russia will be displayed at the Games.
Maria Verchenova, the first Russian to earn LET status, competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, carding a course-record 62 before ultimately finishing tied for 16th.
A total of 22 players earned Category 12 membership status on the LET for 2024, while 30 players clinched Category 16 membership.
South Africa’s Cara Gorlei finished second at 19 under while Thailand’s Aunchisa Utama placed solo third.
Amateur Annabell Fuller, a fifth-year senior at the University of Florida, took a share of fifth while Texas Techs’ Shannon Tan of Singapore tied for eighth.
Spain’s Teresa Toscano made a tremendous final-round statement with a closing 64 to finish tied for 10th.
