South Africa’s top-ranked Casandra Alexander is three strokes off the lead after the first round of the Joburg Ladies Open at Randpark Golf Club on Thursday as she chases her second title in this Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour event.
Alexander opened with a four-under-par 69 and is chasing the shared lead of French duo Agathe Laisne and Ariane Klotz, and American Brianna Navarrosa on seven under par.
The leading trio are one stroke clear of the field after an opening day where a soft and receptive golf course made for good scoring.
Alexander teed off her round on the 10th and shrugged off an early bogey with five birdies, an eagle and a further two bogeys thereafter.
“I wasn’t too worried about starting with a bogey on 10. That is one of the tougher holes on this course, so my caddie and I said in our prep for the week that if we could make par there all week we’d be happy because it is a tougher hole. So I didn’t panic with that opening bogey. It wasn’t a solid round. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but a tidy rollercoaster,” she said.
She briefly held a share of the on-course lead with her eagle on the par-five second hole, her 11th hole.
“I hit a really good tee shot and had a nice number for my four iron in, so just trusted it off the left with the wind from that direction. And I rolled the putt in. An easy way to make an eagle, I guess.”
Alexander is looking to become only the second multiple winner of the Joburg Ladies Open following her victory in 2021, and which would see her join Ashleigh Buhai as the only players to have achieved this.
“It’s still early days, but it’s nice to shoot an under par round on day one. I had a disappointing bogey finish with a three putt, but that’s golf and it happens. I’ve hopefully got three days of good golf to come.”
At the top of the leaderboard, Laisne dropped only one shot in her round. She arrived in South Africa in terrific form having claimed her maiden victory on the Ladies European Tour in Australia in February and a runners-up finish in the Women’s Australian Open in March. She’s currently second on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit behind Alexander, and is one of the few players who chooses not to have a caddie.
“I like to do my own thing. I don’t have to worry about when the caddie is arriving at the course. I can work according to my own timing,” she said.
Article Link: Alexander in the mix at Randpark