World number 42 Casandra Alexander is making the most of her first time in Mauritius ahead of the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius.
The inaugural edition of the tournament takes place May 1-3 on the Legend Course at Constance Belle Mare Plage which will see 120 players tee it up in a 54-hole stroke play competition.
Alexander, who sits second in the LET Order of Merit, had never been to the island before but now wants to come back without her golf clubs.
“It’s my first time here, I’m really loving it and it’s really beautiful,” she said. “I will definitely be back. I know the tournament is coming back, but I’d actually like to come back without golf clubs. A very pretty country. We love the beach, so hopefully we can bring the family out one day.
“It’s our first three-day tournament of the year and being in South Africa helped as it’s a quick pop over. Everyone had a more chill Monday and then the weather didn’t play ball on Tuesday, so a lot of players teed off early today as we’ve booked excursions this afternoon.
“I think it’s important to enjoy a little bit off the golf course when you can when we’re travelling all over. It’s nice to have everything on site and not have to worry about other aspects.
“We’ve been really well looked after, the food has been unbelievable – probably the best we’ve ever had – it’s been good so far and I’m really excited for the week and thankful for everyone involved in getting this tournament together.”
The Legend Course has played host to the MCB Tour Championship on the Staysure Legends Tour for over a decade.
Designed by Hugh Baiocchi and inaugurated in 1994, the course sees water in play on several holes with the grass and grain potentially proving tricky. However, Alexander is used to the type of grain and hopes that will help her during the tournament.
“Definitely small greens,” she continued. “There’s a lot of grain out here being on the island, so the greens aren’t fast, which is also a different challenge because we always say fast screens are challenging, but this can be challenging too.
“The chipping is going to be interesting with the grain, so I think you’re going to have to have a lot of knowledge on the grain and maybe a bit of experience playing with it. The grass is very similar to the feel in Asia. That type of grain and that type of grass.
“The course is nice. It’s very resorty, which we expected because we are at a resort in Mauritius, but it’s better than most resort courses. The condition is pretty good, considering the amount of rain we had, and your tee shots have to be on point, and then from there you can set yourself up nicely for birdies.
“I think off the tee is the most important thing this week. There are some tight tee shots, but once you’ve hit that shot, it opens up the green, which is small, but then you can hit it closer.
“It’s very similar to back home around the greens, it can be tough to chip out of. That’s how I grew up, so it’s not too much of an adaptation for me. I have a bit of experience with the grain. Some of the par-fives I can reach in two, but there are some long ones out there especially on the front nine. The back nine, the par-fives are a little bit easier, but the tee shots are tighter. It plays quite evenly throughout.”
Alexander, who clinched her maiden LET title in 2025, is still aiming high for the 2026 season.
She added: “I’m trying to win, I’m on the right track and had a few changes in the team, so settling into all of that which is nice. I’m trying to win the Order of Merit, but it’s still early in the year.
“We saw last year what can happen with Mimi [Rhodes] and Shannon [Tan], at the moment it’s me and Agathe [Laisne] but you never know who else will come into the picture or who drops out. Goals are still definitely Order of Merit and winning as many golf tournaments.”
Alexander tees it up in the first round of the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius on May 1 at 12.05 pm (local time) alongside New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey and Slovenia’s Pia Babnik.
Keep up with all the action at the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #MCBLadiesClassic.
