England’s Alice Hewson will take a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open, sitting at nine under par after 36 holes.
The two-time LET winner – and defending champion – began the day on the 10th tee in wet conditions at Golfpark Holzhäusern. After a shaky start with bogeys on the 12th and 13th, the latest LET Player of the Month found her rhythm, rolling in six birdies on the way to a second-round of four under par (67).
“I didn’t get off to quite the start that I wanted to this morning, but I stuck with it, dug deep, and held a couple of nice putts coming in”, said the defending champion.
“It was really solid after the bogeys. I think I hit nearly every green and I just gave myself lots of opportunities and was able to make the most of a couple of them.”
She credited her work with sports psychologist Dan for helping her stay in the moment and focus on one shot at a time, a mindset she feels has been a big positive this week.
“I’m not in control of what everybody else is doing out there. There’s still the afternoon wave to go out today, so who knows what the scoreboard will look like by the end of today, but we just going to take it as I always do, and see where we’re at by end of tomorrow.”
Two shots back are Ireland’s Lauren Walsh and Australia’s Sarah Kemp, who sit in a tie for second place on seven under par through 36 holes.
Walsh had a steady, bogey-free round, with back-to-back birdies on the 9th and 10th holes.
“It was a good day’s work”, said Walsh who celebrated her birthday yesterday. “Bogey free which is always nice. I played really solid again, and probably hit the ball better than yesterday. I think I converted a couple more times yesterday, but I’m happy with how I was hitting it, so more of the same tomorrow.”
The Irish player credited her short game for keeping the momentum going: “I think I missed maybe three greens, but I managed to get up and down each time, which was really important. You’re not going to hit every shot perfectly, so it was good to rely on my short game when I needed.”
Heading into tomorrow, she continued: “I can only control what I do tomorrow and I’m just going to enjoy it out there. I’ve had a good two years here before and I’ve enjoyed this week so far.”
Kemp followed suit and went bogey-free for round two in Switzerland. It’s been a whirlwind of a year for the Australian, who suffered a compound fracture of her leg in a freak golf cart accident in August 2024.
A year on and she has lifted the team trophy at the 2025 PIF London Championship, and she is in contention heading into the final day of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open.
“I’m very delighted. I woke up a couple of days ago with a little bit of a cold, so I really had no expectations these last couple of days. It definitely seems to help because last time when I played well [at the Australian Women’s Classic], I had no expectations that time either. I’ve enjoyed the two days and hopefully we can have another good one tomorrow. I need to drill that in my brain, no expectations.”
Reflecting on the last year, she said it’s been an absolute whirlwind of emotions. She continued: “I’ve had a couple of good weeks, but mostly not great. I’m booked in to have surgery again in December, but I wake up sore, I go to bed sore. The golf is ok for the most part, which is really good, but it’s just been a wild year.
“I’ve done a whole 360, but as of today, this is a really nice day and a good place to be in. I’ve just got to be grateful that I’m up and walking around at least.”
Heading into the final round tomorrow, the Aussie is very grateful to be playing golf and for the most part to be fit and healthy. “Being in contention is a total bonus, so that’s nice”, she added.
A further shot back are a total of three players in a tie for fourth place, including Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, Wales’ Lydia Hall, and Germany’s Celina Sattelkau, who all sit on six-under par.
“This week is very different to last week in Houston”, said Iturrioz. “The course is definitely more wet, so you can go more for the pin, and you don’t see the ball rolling as much. I feel good but today the putts weren’t dropping in as well. I’m now thinking what I’m going to practice, heading into tomorrow.”
The five-time LET winner admitted to some jet lag after flying in, though she shrugged it off, saying she rarely sleeps well anyway. Still, last week’s win has boosted her confidence. “I feel like my swing is in a really good place. With all the trees here, you have to be precise, which makes me a little more nervous on the ball – but I love this course, the conditions, and this country.”
She highlighted her consistency as the biggest positive: “Today I only missed two greens, and yesterday maybe just one. That makes me happy, along with how my driver is working.”
Hall had a steady Friday, going bogey-free, highlighted by a couple of birdies on the front and back nine.
It’s a stacked leaderboard, with five players sitting in a tie for seventh place on five-under par. Players included Norway’s Dorthea Forbrigd, France’s Agathe Sauzon and Camille Chevalier, Germany’s Carolin Kauffmann, and Spain’s Harang Lee.
Switzerland’s Kim Metraux, Chiara Tamburlini, and amateur Axelle Martin, are all a further shot back alongside Canada’s Anna Huang, and Germany’s Alexandra Forsterling.
Metraux – who started the day just one shot off the lead – began the second round on the 10th tee. Back-to-back birdies on five and six was a much-needed bounce back from her earlier dropped shots.
“It was a disappointing start. I wasn’t feeling as good today and didn’t feel as comfortable with my game, but really happy with the two birdies and managed somewhat a decent score, and still in there for tomorrow. I’m a few back but we’ll give it a go, and hopefully have a good day tomorrow.”
Tamburlini began the day in T32 but climbed 20 places to sit near the top of the leaderboard, having carded a bogey-free round, and three birdies.
The leading amateur, Axelle Martin – at only 17-years-old – joins Tamburlini and Metraux. Martin had an up-and-down second round, but finished four-under par after 36 holes.
“I’m really happy to be here, and I’m really happy with my game”, said the amateur who has her Dad on her bag this week. “I played well today as well as yesterday. I had a good start, my putting was good, driving was good, so really happy with today.”
The Swiss reflected that she’s never mad at herself. She continued: “I’m always really happy. You can always see me with a smile on course, and you never know if I’m playing good or not. So that’s pretty good.”
She lives just two hours from the course and is part of the under 18’s girls’ national team. This year, she has had three wins including the Swiss Golf Junior Tour Event U18, the Swiss Golf Junior Tour Event U18, and the Swiss Golf West Championship.
“The course is really nice. I feel it’s a bit long and the greens are pretty tough as well, because there’s a lot of slopes, but the conditions in general are pretty good.
“Last year I didn’t make the cut, and this year I made the cut and plus I’m near the top, so it’s pretty good. Tomorrow, I’ll just keep playing my game. It’s worked until now so will just have fun.“
Martin will be playing alongside Tamburlini tomorrow in a group. After her round she said: “I’d love to play with one of the Swiss players – Chiara or Kim. I’ve actually played with Chiara before at the Abu Dhabi camp back in January – it was like a training camp – but was really cool. I’d love to play with either of them tomorrow.”
After 36 holes of action at Golfpark Holzhäusern, 67 players made the cut which fell at one-over par.
The third and final round of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open gets underway tomorrow at 9:54am local time. The leaders will go out at 11:52am.
Watch live and follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook #VPBankSwissLadiesOpen.
