Seven Scots look doomed to be eliminated after Wednesday's fourth round, leaving only Clare Queen and Pamela Pretswell from north of the Border to advance to join compatriots Lynn Kenny and Carly Booth in the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage at La Manga, beginning on Sunday.
Only Clare Queen and Pamela Pretswell, of the nine Scots are in the qualifying zone with one round to play.
The field of 204 players is split into two groups from which the top 35 and ties in each will advance to the 90-hole Final Stage which starts at the same venue on Sunday. Clare Queen (The Carrick at Loch Lomond) is lying joint 10th in Group A after a two-over-par 71 in the third round at La Manga North. She is on three-over-par 218 - five shots off the pace.
Bothwell Castle GC member Pamela Pretswell, still an amateur, is joint 17th in Group B after a two-over-par 75 at the more difficult La Manga South course.
The situation is not so rosy for the other Scots in Group B. Glasgow's Gemma Webster (78 for 229) is currently joint 44th; Heather MacRae (Gleneagles Hotel) (75 for 230) is joint 51st, Linzi Morton (84 for 235) from Tulliallan is joint 81st and Nicola Melville (unatt) (85 for 249) is 99th.
MacRae had an 8 at the long fourth, an eagle at the 18th and five birdies.
Morton had a triple bogey, a double bogey and no birdies in halves of 44-40.
Similarly, in Group A, Pamela Feggans (74) from Patna, Ayrshire, Katy McNicoll (74) from Carnoustie and Majorca-based Lauren Mackin (72) after all on the 228 mark and sharing 54th place.
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL
Pre-qualifying competition over four rounds
LEADING THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Group A (Par 215: 2x71, 1x73)
212 Jodi Ewart (Eng) 68 74 70, Amelia Lewis (US) 70 70 72, Valentine Derrey (Fra) 67 74 71.
213 Esther Choe (US) 71 76 66.
214 Jennie Lee (U) 71 72 71.
Scottish scores:
218 Clare Queen 74 71 73 (T10)
227 Pamela Feggans 75 79 74, Katy McNicoll 75 79 74, Lauren Mackin 72 84 72 (T54).
Group A (Par 217: 1x71, 2x73)
210 Hannah Burke (Eng) 74 69 67.
212 Karin Sjodin (Swe) 73 71 68.
213 Chrisje De Vries (Net) 69 71 75, Anna Scott (Eng) 69 72 74.
216 Tinna Johannsdottir (Ice) 74 71 71.
Scottish scores:
222 Pamela Pretswell 76 71 75 (T17)
229 Gemma Webster 79 72 78 (T44).
230 Heather MacRae 81 74 75 (T51).
235 Linzi Morton 73 78 84 (T81).
249 Nicola Melville 85 79 85 (99th).
Thanks go to Colin Farquharson for the report
Ladies Golf News in Scotland, the West of Scotland and Renfrewshire