The 24-year-old had begun the final day tied for the lead with fellow South African Kiera Floyd, but Alexander went out in 34 before a brilliant back nine saw her collect an eagle and two birdies to romp to victory.

While Floyd struggled to a 77 on Saturday and finished 11 strokes behind, Alexander’s closest challenger was Spaniard Harang Lee, who also shot a 66 to finish on eight-under-par.

“It was definitely very close to flawless golf. I played unbelievably well and I am really happy,” Alexander said after her fifth Sunshine Ladies Tour title. “I had one or two drops early on which was maybe a bit of nerves, but I must have had 10 15-foot putts and I just couldn’t miss the first few.

“So I just tried to give myself birdie opportunities and I did manage to sink a few more. I played smart, but still aggressively and had a hot putter. Everything was solid, I hot my irons really well.”
Next week Alexander will defend her Jabra Ladies Classic title at Glendower, and then follows six consecutive weeks of European Tour action, including two co-sanctioned events in South Africa.

“I’m going to take a lot of confidence into Glendower, I’m hitting the ball well and that is a ball-striker’s course. And then it’s the two co-sanctioned events. I have a lot of events coming up, eight weeks in a row, and hopefully I can hit the ball even better and make more putts. I will carry this win with me,” Alexander said.

Her eagle on the 483m par-five 11th came after a superb four-iron over the flag.

“I kept missing my drives slightly left, so I decided to hit a little cut off the tee and hit an unbelievable drive. I then hit a grip-down four-iron 185 metres into the wind, another little cut, and I hit it flush straight at the pin. I told it to sit down and it pitched five metres behind, leaving me with a 15-foot putt for eagle.

“That kind of separated myself, allowed the nerves to settle. I just played smart from there, I didn’t need to do anything crazy. I held things together well, it was all really tidy and I had two lip-outs in the last three holes,” Alexander said.

The Johannesburger backed up her eagle with birdies at the 12th and 15tgh holes, and then her challengers were spent.

South Africa’s Cara Gorlei also shot a 66 to finish third on five-under-par, with compatriot Stacy Bregman fourth on four-under after a 69.

SCORES:

204 – Casandra Alexander 68 70 66
208 – Harang Lee (ESP) 73 69 66
211 – Cara Gorlei 73 72 66
212 – Stacy Bregman 70 73 69
214 – Tereza Melecka (CZE) 72 75 67, Carolin Kauffmann (GER) 72 72 70
215 – Lee-Anne Pace 70 71 74, Kiera Floyd 67 71 77
216 – Tandi McCallum 76 70 70, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) 73 70 73
217 – Romy Meekers (NED) 75 73 69, Ariane Klotz (FRA) 72 77 68, Lenanda van der Watt 73 73 71, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 74 71 72, Zethu Myeki 72 72 73
218 – Linette Holmslykke (DEN) 72 74 72, Tvesa Malik (IND) 72 72 74
219 – Hanna Tauber (GER) 75 70 74, Jane Turner (SCO) 74 77 68
220 – Danielle du Toit 74 73 73, Nina Pegova (WHT) 72 77 71, Nicole Garcia 72 77 71, Lora Assad 74 76 70, Isabella van Rooyen 72 72 76
221 – Florentyna Parker (ENG) 72 75 74, Tina Mazarino (NOR) 76 71 74, Verena Gimmy (GER) 72 73 76, Ellen Hutchinson-Kay (SWE) 72 72 77, Katharina Keilich (GER) 77 74 70
222 – Gabriella Cowley (ENG) 81 68 73, Ridhima Dilawari (IND) 74 73 75, Alexandra Swayne (ISV) 74 76 72
223 – Gina Da Silva (a) 77 72 74
224 – Judith van der Voort (NED) 77 72 75, Emie Peronnin (FRA) 74 76 74
225 – Kelsey Nicholas 72 79 74, Lauren Taylor (ENG) 78 73 74
227 – Michelle Forsland (NOR) 73 76 78, Kaylan Boshoff 77 73 77, Lindi Coetzee 75 76 76, Michelle Leigh 73 79 75
229 – Ivanna Samu 78 74 77
234 – Tara Griebenow 70 82 82
Missed the cut:-
153 – Suzette Venter 78 75, Kristin Sim (NOR) 75 78, Helen Kreuzer (GER) 76 77
154 – Lejan Lewthwaite 80 74
155 – Chante van Zyl 77 78, Larissa Du Preez 77 78, Gabrielle Venter 78 77
157 – Nadia van der Westhuizen 80 77
158 – Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR) 79 79, Chante de Lange 82 76
159 – Jahaanvie Walia (ZAM) 82 77, Nicola Schoeman (a) 77 82
160 – Carey Dodds 80 80, Shawnelle de Lange 83 77
161 – Christina Gloor (SUI) 81 80
162 – Lea Ndjobouela (GAB) 78 84, Bronwyn Doeg 83 79
165 – Federica Biscuoli (ITA) 84 81, Brittney-Fay Berger 84 81
166 – Leontine Petit (FRA) 86 80, Crizelda Terblanche 82 84
168 – Yolanda Duma 89 79
170 – Shamiso Makwara (ZIM) 83 87
176 – Loice Chingono (ZIM) 89 87

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

Photo by Troy Winfield/Sunshine Tour

The post Casandra conquers Serengeti to claim Absa Ladies Invitational title appeared first on SportsClub.

First-round leader Floyd shot a one-under-par 71 in the second round on Friday to go to six-under-par overall. The 19-year-old, playing on her home course, began her round on the back nine and started brilliantly with birdies on the par-five 11th and par-three 12th holes, where she chipped in. She added another birdie on the par-four second hole and led by four strokes at that stage.

But bogeys on the last two par-threes, the fifth and the ninth, dropped her back into a share of the lead as Alexander finished strong by birdieing the seventh and eighth holes.

Floyd, who double-bogeyed the fifth in the first round, once again found the bunker right in a spot without any sand and chipped over the green before getting up-and-down for a four. On her last hole, she three-putted from across the green.

The 24-year-old Alexander also started her second round on the 10th and struggled to a one-over 37 at the turn. But she mounted a superb comeback on the front nine, picking up birdies on the first and second holes. She bogeyed the par-four sixth, but an excellent pair of birdies at seven and eight set her up for a final-round shootout with Floyd.

They are three shots ahead of another South African, the vastly-experienced Lee-Anne Pace, who collected three birdies in four holes around the turn and posted a one-under 71 on Friday.

Spain’s Harang Lee shot a 69 on Friday and leapt into fourth place on two-under-par and Namibia’s Bonita Bredenhann and South African Stacy Bregman are on one-under.
Floyd is chasing her maiden professional title and is hoping all the hard work she has put into her game and her mental approach pays off under the pressure of the final round and the expectation of home fans.

“I’ve put a lot of hard work into everything – my mental game, my range-work, my putting, my driving – and hopefully it pays off and I can hold all that together and come out on top,” Floyd said. The last time I was leading going into the final round was as an amateur and I’m looking forward to it, hopefully I can close it off.

“Conditions were a lot tougher today, the pins were tucked and the wind was up as well, and the greens were slower but very difficult to read. It helps that I know this course so well and which way the wind blows. It was swirling a lot today and we had crosswinds, downwinds and winds into you,” Floyd said.

“I had a slow start and struggled for birdies on the back nine, I had a lot of lip-outs and a couple of short-sides cost me drops,” Alexander said.

“It was much harder today because there were some tricky pins and the wind and the pin-placements together made for quite a deadly combination.

“But it’s always a challenge I enjoy and something has definitely clicked this week after I got a new coach at the beginning of the year. When you do that, you go through changes and you have to be patient, even though you just want to score low straight away.

“But my game is getting better, it’s tighter and cleaner and my skew shots are not as skew. We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Alexander, a four-time winner on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, said.

SCORES:

138 – Kiera Floyd 67 71, Casandra Alexander 68 70
141 – Lee-Anne Pace 70 71
142 – Harang Lee (ESP) 73 69
143 – Bonita Bredenhann (NAM) 73 70, Stacy Bregman 70 73
144 – Carolin Kauffmann (GER) 72 72, Tvesa Malik (IND) 72 72, Zethu Myeki 72 72, Isabella van Rooyen 72 72, Ellen Hutchinson-Kay (SWE) 72 72
145 – Hanna Tauber (GER) 75 70, Cara Gorlei 73 72, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 74 71, Verena Gimmy (GER) 72 73
146 – Linette Holmslykke (DEN) 72 74, Lenanda van der Watt 73 73, Tandi McCallum 76 70
147 – Tina Mazarino (NOR) 76 71, Ridhima Dilawari (IND) 74 73, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 72 75, Tereza Melecka (CZE) 72 75, Danielle du Toit 74 73
148 – Romy Meekers (NED) 75 73
149 – Gabriella Cowley (ENG) 81 68, Nina Pegova (WHT) 72 77, Ariane Klotz (FRA) 72 77, Judith van der Voort (NED) 77 72, Michelle Forsland (NOR) 73 76, Nicole Garcia 72 77, Gina Da Silva (a) 77 72
150 – Lora Assad 74 76, Emie Peronnin (FRA) 74 76, Alexandra Swayne (ISV) 74 76, Kaylan Boshoff 77 73
151 – Lindi Coetzee 75 76, Kelsey Nicholas 72 79, Katharina Keilich (GER) 77 74, Lauren Taylor (ENG) 78 73, Jane Turner (SCO) 74 77
152 – Ivanna Samu 78 74, Tara Griebenow 70 82, Michelle Leigh 73 79
Missed the cut:-
153 – Suzette Venter 78 75, Kristin Sim (NOR) 75 78, Helen Kreuzer (GER) 76 77
154 – Lejan Lewthwaite 80 74
155 – Chante van Zyl 77 78, Larissa Du Preez 77 78, Gabrielle Venter 78 77
157 – Nadia van der Westhuizen 80 77
158 – Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR) 79 79, Chante de Lange 82 76
159 – Jahaanvie Walia (ZAM) 82 77, Nicola Schoeman (a) 77 82
160 – Carey Dodds 80 80, Shawnelle de Lange 83 77
161 – Christina Gloor (SUI) 81 80
162 – Lea Ndjobouela (GAB) 78 84, Bronwyn Doeg 83 79
165 – Federica Biscuoli (ITA) 84 81, Brittney-Fay Berger 84 81
166 – Leontine Petit (FRA) 86 80, Crizelda Terblanche 82 84
168 – Yolanda Duma 89 79
170 – Shamiso Makwara (ZIM) 83 87
176 – Loice Chingono (ZIM) 89 87

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

Photo by Troy Winfield/Sunshine Tour

The post SA duo lead the charge into final round of Absa Ladies Invitational appeared first on SportsClub.

Floyd has produced back-to-back top-10 finishes in her last two tournaments and also contended strongly in the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am at Fancourt before an 84 in the final round saw her slip down to a tie for 15th place. The 19-year-old is also playing at her home course at Serengeti and there is certainly a lot of expectation that the prodigy can notch up her breakthrough professional win this week.

She successfully managed that external pressure, and also composed herself brilliantly after an unfortunate double-bogey at the 122m par-three fifth hole, not dropping another shot as she finished with seven birdies in all. Three of those came in her first four holes, before her mishap on the first par-three, and then a birdie on the par-five eighth was followed by three more on the back nine.

“I know there is a lot of expectation on me this week and I know there are a lot of people who want me to do well here, but I put all that to the side. I just played like I had not played the course before, I started like it was a fresh round on a new course this morning,” Floyd said.

“And I was very happy with the way I played. The double-bogey was a bit unlucky because I hit my tee shot into a bunker where there was no sand, and then played a bit of ping-pong over the green.

“But I came back nicely and I am really happy with my performance. Off the tee and my putting were the best parts of my game, I sank a few nice ones, which definitely helps. It was not easy out there, but I gave myself a lot more opportunities to make birdie. But it is just the first round and I need to keep going,” Floyd said.

The 2022 SA Women’s Strokeplay champion is one stroke ahead of fellow South African Casandra Alexander, who provided the sort of birdie-birdie finish to her round that had the spectators recording the action on their cellular phones.

The 24-year-old Alexander’s 68 also included a double-bogey, at the par-five eighth, but she immediately pulled a stroke back by making a birdie at the par-three ninth. She was level-par at the turn, but birdies at the 11th and 15thholes, and then her two threes to finish saw Alexander soar up the leaderboard.

In a momentous day in this season’s Sunshine Ladies Tour, every place in the top-five is filled by a South African, breaking the overseas dominance that has been apparent in the previous four events.

Perennial winner Lee-Anne Pace, Tara Griebenow and Stacy Bregman all shot 70s on Thursday to share third place. Another South African, Nicole Garcia, was leading on four-under through 10 holes, but she struggled to a 39 coming home, finishing her round on the front nine, to join a dozen other golfers on level-par 72.

SCORES:

67 – Kiera Floyd
68 – Casandra Alexander
70 – Lee-Anne Pace, Tara Griebenow, Stacy Bregman
72 – Tereza Melecka (CZE), Ellen Hutchinson-Kay (SWE), Verena Gimmy (GER), Nicole Garcia, Linette Holmslykke (DEN), Kelsey Nicholas, Zethu Myeki, Carolin Kauffmann (GER), Tvesa Malik (IND), Nina Pegova (WHT), Florentyna Parker (ENG), Ariane Klotz (FRA), Isabella van Rooyen
73 – Lenanda van der Watt, Cara Gorlei, Michelle Forsland (NOR), Harang Lee (ESP), Michelle Leigh, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM)
74 – Danielle du Toit, Alexandra Swayne (ISV), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Jane Turner (SCO), Lora Assad, Ridhima Dilawari (IND), Emie Peronnin (FRA)
75 – Hanna Tauber (GER), Lindi Coetzee, Kristin Sim (NOR), Romy Meekers (NED)
76 – Tandi McCallum, Tina Mazarino (NOR), Helen Kreuzer (GER)
77 – Nicola Schoeman (a), Gina Da Silva (a), Kaylan Boshoff, Chante van Zyl, Larissa Du Preez, Judith van der Voort (NED), Katharina Keilich (GER)
78 – Lauren Taylor (ENG), Gabrielle Venter, Suzette Venter, Ivanna Samu, Lea Ndjobouela (GAB)
79 – Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR)
80 – Carey Dodds, Lejan Lewthwaite, Nadia van der Westhuizen
81 – Gabriella Cowley (ENG), Christina Gloor (SUI)
82 – Chante de Lange, Jahaanvie Walia (ZAM), Crizelda Terblanche
83 – Bronwyn Doeg, Shawnelle de Lange, Shamiso Makwara (ZIM)
84 – Brittney-Fay Berger, Federica Biscuoli (ITA)
86 – Leontine Petit (FRA)
89 – Yolanda Duma, Loice Chingono (ZIM)

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

Photo by Troy Winfield/Sunshine Tour

The post South Africans dominate round one of Absa Ladies Invitational appeared first on SportsClub.

The R1.2 million tournament tees off on Thursday with a strong field including seasoned champion Lee-Anne Pace, Germany’s Helen Kreuzer and India’s Tvesa Malik, both already winners on Tour this season, South African challengers such as Stacy Bregman, Nicole Garcia and Cara Gorlei, and the consistent Alexandra Swayne from the US Virgin Islands who has not finished outside the top-14 this season.

The event will also feature the talented 18-year-old Zubenathi Kroti, a deaf golfer who is one of the rising stars of the South African Disabled Golf Association (SADGA) and is using this tournament as preparation for the start of her own international career.

But most eyes this week will likely be on Floyd who has finished in the top-10 of her last two events, the Fidelity ADT Ladies Challenge and the Standard Bank Ladies Open, while she also contended strongly in the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am at Fancourt before shooting 84 in the final round to finish tied 15th.

The good news for her is that the Serengeti layout is just her cup of tea. Floyd’s length and accuracy off the tee should see her prosper on the 5 688-metre course.

“I’ve been playing Serengeti for many years and I’m really looking forward to this tournament. I’m feeling really confident and I’m playing nicely at the moment,” said Floyd.

“The course is a bit longer which suits me because I am a long hitter. Serengeti has a lot of signature holes which can make it a make-or-break situation. None of the holes are the same. There’s always something different thrown at you and usually a bunker in the way too. It’s not a very open course, but it all depends on where you play it off the tee. It’s definitely not the same as the other courses we’ve played this season. I really like the layout. But I still have to play well. I can’t take things for granted just because it is my home course.”

The second-year pro has always quickly conquered the different levels of the game and her maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour win cannot be far away judging by her previous achievements.

Floyd won the Benoni Country Club Ladies Championship aged nine, finished third in the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s Jabra Classic aged 14, and won the South African Women’s Stroke Play Championship in 2022 before turning professional at the beginning of last year. She has already collected six top-10 finishes on tour.

In order to take that next step into the winner’s circle, Floyd believes she needs to master staying calm during the inevitable tough times during a round.

“I’ve struggled a bit in the past events with keeping my head up if I make a bogey or a hole does not go well. I need to be more consistent. You need that consistency so if you start on a roll then you can keep it going. I need to stay patient to get the win and just work my way through the course and whatever happens, happens,” Floyd said.

Her contemporary Gabrielle Venter won the Standard Bank Ladies Open at Royal Cape Golf Club three weeks ago, giving Floyd a lot of confidence that she can make it back-to-back South African winners when the Absa Ladies Invitational gets underway.

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

Photo by Photo by Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

The post Floyd banking on home course advantage in Absa Ladies Invitational appeared first on SportsClub.