The LET's Q School Is Named After a True Renaissance Woman

Over the past several days, one name that has continued to pop up across my social media timelines. After the third or fourth appearance, my curiosity had officially been piqued. Who is Lalla Aicha? And what's her connection to golf?

Last week, the Ladies European Tour (LET) hosted its Q School rounds in Morocco, the setting is cool enough, but the programming is actually named after a member of the country's royal family who held a strong stance on gender equality, especially in sport.

Related: It's Official—The LET Q School Venues Have the Best Views in Golf

Princess Lalla Aicha of Morocco, the daughter of King Mohammed V and aunt to the current king Mohammed VI, was a pioneer of modernization, a massive advocate of women's rights, and when she wasn't traveling the world as Morocco's first female ambassador, she loved to play golf.

When she was just a teen, the princess delivered a speech at the Casablanca Conference in 1943, where she spoke about the vital nature of educating all members of society, particularly women, doing so while being dressed in modern western-style clothing, forgoing the more traditional garb expected at the time. This marked the beginning of her life in public service—she spent her career advocating for women on a global scale, primarily in the UK and in Italy, where she worked to evolve the international relations of her home country.

In the 70s, when her professional diplomatic activities slowed, she returned to Morocco and turned her focuses onto influencing Moroccan civil society. It's been noted that the princess loved to host, and often she endorsed programs aimed at women's social and professional development.

It's impossible to know if she truly recognized the networking power of this game, but I have a strong inkling that she realized that golf is one of the greatest tools of connection.

Detailed on the LET's website, Aicha played a significant role in the development of golf in Morocco and the promotion of the sport among Moroccan women. It's said that she was played an integral part in the organization of numerous women’s golf tournaments in Morocco, including the Lalla Meryem Cup, an event on the Ladies European Tour named after her niece, Lalla Meryem. Added to the LET schedule in 2010, Lalla Meryem Cup has attracted some of the world’s top women golfers like Dame Laura Davies, Annika Sörenstam and has helped increase the visibility and reputation of Moroccan golf internationally.

It seems only fitting that the Tour's qualifying stages are named after her and contested on some of the most historic courses in the country.

And over the weekend, 20 players secured their LET cards for 2026!