Kajsa Arwefjall continued her fine form on day one at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open firing a round of 64 (-7) in sweltering conditions to lead Spanish duo Luna Sobron Galmes and Amaia Latorre by one shot.
Having finished T10 at last week’s PIF London Championship, the Swede kept the birdies coming at Golfpark Holzhäusern carding eight red numbers and dropping just one shot to move to the top of the leaderboard.
The scorecard came courtesy of some pinpoint approach play as Arwefjall was left with tap-in birdies at the 11th, 12th and 13th on day one in Switzerland.
“It was just very fun out there,” the 26-year-old said. “I was hitting it very well – hit a lot of fairways and gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdies. I made them too which was great! I had a birdie putt on 18 to actually shoot my best ever score but it went too far right. Overall it was fun to shoot seven-under.”
Arwefjall, currently 12th on the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit, is no stranger to Golfpark Holzhäusern having finished T2 here last year as Alice Hewson claimed a five-shot victory.
“It’s playing a little bit different from last year,” the Swede explained, also a runner-up at the MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius earlier this year. “The fairways are a little bit firmer so you have to think a little bit differently off the tee. The greens are really receptive though so you’re able to fire it right at the pins.”
During the morning wave in Switzerland, the Spanish flag sat proudly at the top of the leaderboard as Sobron Galmes and Latorre both fired rounds of 65 (-6) with compatriot Blanca Fernandez also going low with a round of 66 (-5).
Like Arwefjall, Sobron Galmes performed brilliantly at the PIF London Championship last week finishing T6 at an equally as hot Centurion Club. The Spaniard carded seven birdies and dropped one shot on Thursday at Golfpark Holzhäusern to set the early target. This fine form also comes following an equipment change in her bag.
“I’m very happy with the round,” Sobron Galmes said, still chasing a maiden LET victory. “I played really good. The putter was on fire today and I only missed two greens. Last week the course was much more stressful. This week it’s different, much shorter and you can hit more irons off the tee. There’s lots of birdie chances.
“I changed the shafts in my irons. The last ones were so light, like 85g. Now the new ones are 95g. They are heavier and I prefer this. The putter is performing too so I’m keeping that. I like this place, I like Switzerland. We [me, Blanca and Harang Lee] are all staying together and having a good time.”
Latorre meanwhile, a one-time winner on the LET Access Series (LETAS), went bogey-free in the Swiss heat to match Sobron Galmes’ score and give herself plenty of confidence heading into the final two days.
“It was an amazing day,” Latorre said, whose best finish on the LET came at this year’s Tipsport Czech Ladies Open where she placed T10. “I enjoyed it a lot. I was first reserve last week and I didn’t get into the PIF London Championship. That hurt me a lot. I took that energy into this week. It feels like something of destiny. I’m a player that usually makes some bogeys so to not make any today gives me a lot of confidence. Let’s see how the rest of the week goes.
“Last season was a bit rough. It was my rookie year on the LET but I also played a lot of LET Access Series events. It was a lot of weeks in a row. I was so tired mentally and physically. This year, just playing LET has been much better for me. I’m more mature, more experienced and it’s been better. I’m trusting my game a lot.”
In a tie for fourth on five-under par sit the before-mentioned Fernandez as well as 2023 champion Alexandra Forsterling from Germany, Japan’s Ayako Uehera, Wales’ Chloe Williams and Australia’s Whitney Hillier.
Playing alongside Arwefjall, Forsterling was also dialled in with her approach play all afternoon going bogey-free with birdies at the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 12th,
The German, a four-time winner on the LET, is the highest ranked player from this season’s Order of Merit teeing up in Switzerland. She currently sits sixth in the season-standings thanks to five top-10s.
“I’m actually really happy with how I played,” Forsterling said. “It was really consistent and I made two really good par putts. I also had a migraine midway through and could hardly see anything. I don’t know what caused it but I’m really happy how I handled the pain. I love this place so much. My mum is here to support me too. We like it so much and always take an eight hour drive to get here.”
Five players round out the top-10 in a tie for ninth on four-under par. This group includes Ireland’s Anna Foster, Hong Kong’s Ginnie Ding, France’s Lois Lau, Austria’s Katharina Muehlbauer and Sweden’s Moa Svedenskiold – the current leader of the LETAS Order of Merit who is making her LET debut this week.
Defending champion Hewson, hunting a historic hat-trick in Switzerland, opened with a round of 68 (-3) to make a strong start in her second defence of the title.
The second round of the 2026 VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open gets underway tomorrow at 8:00 local time. 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.
