Golf Alarab · Player profile
Ines Laklalech
The Moroccan champion who opened new doors for Arab women in golf.
Ines Laklalech made history when she won the 2022 Lacoste Ladies Open de France, becoming the first Moroccan, Arab and North African woman to win a Ladies European Tour title. From Morocco’s national team to the LPGA Tour and the Paris Olympics, her career has helped make Arab women’s golf more visible on the world stage.
From Casablanca to the international stage
A pathway shaped by national-team golf, university and professional competition.
Born in Casablanca in 1997, Laklalech began playing golf at the age of ten and joined Morocco’s women’s national team at twelve. She represented her country in Arab, African and world amateur championships, building international experience before turning professional.
Her amateur achievements included the 2018 Arab Championship and the 2019 Moroccan Championship. She attended Wake Forest University in the United States during 2015–16 and later completed a degree in Management Science at University College London. After graduating in 2019, she returned to competitive golf with the aim of reaching the major professional tours.
In December 2021, Laklalech secured full playing category status on the Ladies European Tour through qualifying school. Four top-10 finishes in her first professional season helped establish her, but her breakthrough came in France in September 2022.
September 2022 · France
A historic playoff victory
At the Lacoste Ladies Open de France in Deauville, Laklalech and England’s Meghan MacLaren finished regulation tied at 14 under par, with 199 strokes. Laklalech won the first playoff hole to secure her maiden Ladies European Tour title. She became the first Moroccan, Arab and North African woman to win on the LET, a milestone recognised by the tour and Morocco’s Royal Golf Federation.
Career milestones
The achievements that have shaped her progression.
Born in Casablanca
Begins a journey that will take her from Morocco’s national golf system to elite international competition.
Golf and national team
Starts playing at ten and joins the Moroccan women’s national team at twelve.
Wake Forest University
Competes in U.S. university golf before continuing her academic studies in London.
Amateur titles
Wins the Arab Championship in 2018 and the Moroccan Championship in 2019.
Earns LET playing status
A strong performance at LET qualifying school secures full category status for the 2022 season.
France Open champion
Wins the Lacoste Ladies Open de France in a playoff, becoming the first Moroccan, Arab and North African LET title winner.
LPGA Tour breakthrough
Earns full LPGA Tour playing status for the 2023 season, becoming the first Arab woman to secure an LPGA card.
Paris Olympic Games
Represents Morocco in women’s golf at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
What the breakthrough changed
A landmark result with significance beyond one tournament.
Firsts
Representation at the highest level
Her LET win made her the first Moroccan, Arab and North African woman to win a tour title, giving a generation of young golfers a visible international benchmark.
Pathway
From amateur golf to the LPGA
National-team experience, university golf, LET qualifying school and professional results combined to create a pathway to full LPGA Tour status in 2023.
Explore more of Ines’s journey
Related Golf Alarab coverage and official player records.
