North-east golfer Laura Beveridge is one of only two Scots to progress to the final round of Ladies European Tour Q School at La Manga.
With 20 tour cards up for grabs, Hazel MacGarvie and Beveridge are well-placed heading into the fifth and final day.
England’s Maclaren leads by one on eight under with Macgarvie sitting tied 10th on two under while Beveridge is tied 18th on one over.
But it was disappointment for Nethy Bridge golfer Hannah McCook who failed to make the fourth round cut with only the top 65 and ties progressing.
McCook posted a 78 on the South Course to drop to tied 66th on nine over overall and miss out by a single shot.
MacLaren continued her consistent form with a round of 69, which included three birdies and a solitary bogey.
.@meg_maclaren takes a one shot lead on -8 heading into the final day @LaMangaClub 👏 #RaiseOurGame | #LETQSchool pic.twitter.com/csymPVaTdz
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) December 19, 2021
The 27-year-old said: “It felt a bit calmer today, the wind was in a slightly different direction and the greens were a bit softer from the rain last night, so it felt a bit more scoreable today.
“That’s probably the best I’ve hit the ball tee to green this week. I was really pleased with that.
“I was much better off the tee than I have been so I felt I could step up and be aggressive and give myself some chances from there, which made things a lot less stressful than they have been.
“I’ve played solidly all week and I’ll try and minimise the mistakes – I seem to throw one in every round – so hopefully I can get through without doing that tomorrow.”
Royal Troon’s MacGarvie carded a 71 on the South Course to remain right in the hunt for a 2022 Ladies European Tour card.
Alford’s Beveridge, who has her husband and coach Keil on the bag, continued her remarkable move up the leaderboard.
Sitting tied 118th after an opening round of 82, Beveridge has fought her way back into contention for a card with rounds of 66, 73 and 68.