Golf Alarab · Player profile
Maha Haddioui
A trailblazer who carried Moroccan golf onto the Olympic stage.
Maha Haddioui became a landmark figure in Arab women’s golf when she joined the Ladies European Tour in 2012. She helped open a path for Arab professionals on major tours, represented Morocco at two Olympic Games, and continues to compete internationally. Her career is a story of longevity, resilience and steadily raising the profile of Moroccan golf.
Building a professional pathway
From university golf in Florida to the international women’s tour.
Born in Casablanca on 15 May 1988, Haddioui grew up in Morocco and later played university golf at Lynn University in Florida from 2006 to 2010, graduating with honours. Her amateur record included Arab Championship victories and national titles, including becoming the first woman to win Morocco’s men’s national championship in 2005.
She turned professional in November 2010 and worked through the Ladies European Tour’s qualifying pathway. In 2012 she secured her tour card and became the first Arab professional golfer to obtain playing status on a major professional circuit, according to the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation. She also won the Ladies Moroccan Professional Championship that year.
Haddioui built a long career on the LET, returning season after season to compete across Europe and beyond. Her presence helped make a pathway into professional golf more visible for women from Morocco and across the Arab world, at a time when very few had access to major international tours.
Rio 2016 · Tokyo 2020
An Olympic milestone for Arab women’s golf
Haddioui represented Morocco at Rio 2016, finishing 59th in the women’s individual event, and returned for Tokyo 2020, where she tied for 43rd. In Tokyo she also recorded a hole-in-one on the seventh hole during the second round. These appearances made her one of the most recognisable pioneers of Arab women’s golf on the global sporting stage.
Career milestones
A decade and a half of international competition.
Born in Casablanca
Grows up in Morocco and develops into one of the country’s leading women golfers.
A historic national title
Wins Morocco’s men’s national championship, becoming the first woman to claim the title.
College golf in Florida
Competes for Lynn University and graduates with honours.
Turns professional
Begins her professional career in November after building a strong amateur record.
Joins the LET
Secures a Ladies European Tour card, becomes the first Arab professional with playing status on a major circuit, and wins the Moroccan Professional Championship.
Rio Olympic Games
Represents Morocco as golf returns to the Olympic programme and finishes 59th in the women’s individual event.
Podium in South Africa
Finishes third at the Investec South African Women’s Open, one of her career-best results on the LET.
Back at the Olympics
Ties for 43rd at Tokyo 2020 and records a hole-in-one on the seventh hole in round two.
Another LET podium
Finishes third at the Jabra Ladies Open, underlining her ability to remain competitive after many seasons on tour.
Career highlights beyond the Olympics
Consistency and perseverance across a long professional career.
2018 · LET
Third at the Investec South African Women’s Open
A career-best podium finish at a Ladies European Tour event, reflecting her ability to contend in an international field.
2025 · LET
Third at the Jabra Ladies Open
Another top-three result on tour, adding a recent milestone to a career that began in the early 2010s.
Why Maha’s place in golf history matters
Opening doors and creating a visible example for the next generation.
Haddioui’s breakthrough was not a single result but the accumulation of years on a major professional tour and appearances at two Olympic Games. As the first Arab professional golfer to gain a card on a major circuit, she helped make elite women’s golf feel more attainable for players who had rarely seen someone from their region take that route.
Her career also sits within the wider development of Moroccan golf, supported by national programmes, professional events and growing pathways for young women. The example she set was followed by a new generation of Moroccan players, including Ines Laklalech, who later achieved a breakthrough of her own on the Ladies European Tour.
Explore Maha’s results and stories
Further reading from Golf Alarab.
