Kajsa Arwefjall sits in pole position heading into the final round of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open after the Swede followed up yesterday’s 64 (-7) with a bogey-free 66 (-5) to move into a three-shot lead.
Chasing a maiden victory on the Ladies European Tour (LET), and one clear before the start of play, Arwefjall got off the best start possible on Friday at Golfpark Holzhäusern when she birdied the par-4 10th.
Patience would be the name of the game for the 26-year-old as she carded eight consecutive pars before the turn. Arwefjall then came alive on the front-nine, her back-nine, as she carded birdies at the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th to move clear of the chasers.
“It was very fun again today,” the Swede said in scorching hot Switzerland. “I actually played better on the back-nine, my front-nine, even though I scored better on the front. It was nice having a lot of people out watching and going bogey-free is always a bonus.“
Arwefjall finished T2 at this event in 2025 as Alice Hewson defended her title in style. She also finished runner-up at the MCB Classic – Mauritius back in June before making the cut at her first two Major starts last month in Europe.
Holding a three-shot advantage, Arwefjall will tee up in the final group on Saturday alongside Australia’s Whitney Hillier and Ireland’s Anna Foster.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” the Swede said on the task at hand. “It’s going to be a fun day. I’ll just go out there and try to enjoy it. I’ll try to not look at scores and just play my own game.”
Both Hillier and Foster share second position after moving to nine-under par for the tournament on Friday.
Hillier, a veteran on the LET, has been back to her very best this week backing up yesterday’s 66 (-5) with a round of 67 (-4) on Friday. The popular Australian has had a difficult few years on and off course having endured a battle with long-COVID that had doctors baffled and threatened to prematurely end her career.
“Everything’s just feeling really good at the moment,” the 35-year-old said, whose last top-10 came in July 2022. “I’m in a good mental space and feeling fit – finally! I’m feeling healthy which is the most important thing. Everything is just kind of happening this week and it’s just feeling good.
“You never give up, right? I’ve always wanted to keep competing and I just love it out here. Especially here in Switzerland. What a nice place it is. It’s been lovely. I’ve been based in London these past few weeks. I didn’t play in the last few events so I’ve just been getting fit and healthy. Just grinding away and doing my thing. I’m so glad it’s coming along nicely.”
Sharing the Aussie’s 36-year-old score is Ireland’s Foster who followed up her 67 (-4) on day one with a round of 66 (-5) on Friday. The 24-year-old is making her debut in this event and will now tee up in the final group on the final day for the first time in her LET career.
“It felt very stress free again today,” Foster said. “I kept the momentum going today and conserved my energy well because it’s so hot out here. I would much rather be in a position of chasing rather that having all these great players chasing me. I’ll just go out there with an attitude that I have nothing to lose. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing and take one shot at a time.
“I’ll definitely be nervous, I feel like it would be weird if you weren’t in that situation. But my game has been trending in the right way for a while now so to be in a position to contend in the final group, I’ll try to enjoy it as best I can.”
One shot back in a tie for fourth on eight-under par sit Germany’s Alexandra Forsterling – winner of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open in 2023 – Wales’ Chloe Williams who finished third at this event in 2022, and England’s Eleanor Givens who finished with three birdies on Friday to fire a round of 66 (-5).
Forsterling, a four-time winner on the LET, holed a brilliant birdie on her final hole, the par-4 9th, to keep herself within touching distance of playing partner Arwefjall.
Another Englishwoman, Hannah Screen, sits in solo seventh on seven-under par. Six players round out the top-10 in a tie for eighth on six-under par. This group includes defending champion Alice Hewson from England – going for a historic hat-trick this week – plus Finland’s Elina Nummenpaa, Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist, Austria’s Katharina Muehlbauer, plus Spanish duo Luna Sobron Galmes and Amaia Latorre.
Also on day two, one-time winner Christine Wolf said her farewell to the LET as she retired following the conclusion of play. The Austrian had not competed for almost two years prior to this week after giving birth to a baby girl, Mia, in 2025.
After 36 holes of action at Golfpark Holzhäusern, the cut fell at even-par with 65 players making it through to Saturday’s finale.
The third and final round of the 2026 VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open gets underway tomorrow morning. Watch live and keep up to date with the tournament on our socials: @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #SwissLadiesOpen.
