Nairn golfer Kelsey MacDonald is confident she can make a mark on the Ladies European Tour this year.
The former Scottish women’s amateur champion made her way through Tour school in Morocco for the second consecutive year in December.
MacDonald was forced to return to tour school after finishing 85th in the order of merit last season with only the leading 80 players keeping their cards, but the 25-year-old earned another year among the elite by finishing tied fifth at the Samanah Country Club.
MacDonald is determined to ensure she will not be heading back to school come the end of the 2016 campaign.
She said: “It was very tough having to go back to tour school. It was a tremendous amount of pressure.
“Being able to perform even better than I did the previous year was a huge bonus and something I need to learn from.
“I hope to take a lot of positives from that into the rest of the season.
“The first season on tour was about finding my feet and learning the ropes.
“It is really good I will be playing venues I have been to before as it means my preparation should be a lot better.”
MacDonald’s best finish of her 2015 season came at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Dundonald when she was tied 27th.
This year’s event is also high on the agenda for MacDonald, who hopes 2016 is the year she makes her maiden Open appearance.
She said: “This season is going to be tough but it is about making sure I get out of the blocks quickly and secure my card.
“I am really looking forward to playing Dundonald. Playing in front of a home crowd with family and friends who support me is a great experience.
“They have helped me so much throughout my career, so it is nice they get the opportunity to watch me play on home soil.
“I thrive on that adrenalin. I had a pretty decent result last year, so I am looking forward to it this year.
“I would like to play the British Open at Woburn. I have always fallen just short of playing in it, so that is a huge goal. I played the US Open at Pinehurst in 2014, which was a fantastic experience.”
MacDonald and fellow Scottish professional Kylie Walker visited the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow to announce the appointment of Beatson Cancer Charity, for a second consecutive year, as the official charity of the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open that takes place from July 22 to 24 at Dundonald Links.