It’s been five years since Pia Babnik won her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title as a 17-year-old at Evian Resort.
The Slovenian star returns to the Jabra Ladies Open de France this week for the first since 2023 and has a good record at the tournament.
In her three appearances, Babnik secured victory in 2021, finished in a share of fifth in 2022, and was T39 in 2023.
“It’s so nice being back,” said Babnik. “I haven’t played here for the last two years. I see they’ve made some changes to the course. It’s super nice to be back. It’s so nice. Everywhere you look, it’s so pretty. That’s what I like the most.”
For her maiden LET title, Babnik defeated defending champion Annabel Dimmock in a playoff after they were each locked on four-under-par.
The two-time LET winner admits she is a different player now compared with five years ago but believes she is better now than then.
She continued: “I have really great memories. I played well and the playoff I had with Annabel and then seeing that final putt of mine go in and she missed. A lot of good memories.
“I have grown so much. I have evolved so much from five years ago. I had a pretty bad season two years after that which taught me a lot. I think I did come out of that as a better player. I think I’m a much better player than I was back then.”
Babnik comes into the 2026 Jabra Ladies Open de France having recorded four top-10 finishes so far this season.
At last week’s Lalla Meryem Cup, the 22-year-old ended the week in outright fifth place and believes her game is in a good place to notch another victory.
She added: “My form is pretty good. I think I’m getting close to winning again which is the goal. I’m really enjoying my game right now. It does come to I really want to win.
“I think I just have to be patient and wait for the win to happen by itself. I am just enjoying the golf I’m playing and that’s the most important. My mum is caddying and she was also doing it last week when I was fifth, so it’s good.”
Babnik will be teeing it up in the first round at 8.44 am (local time) alongside England’s Esme Hamilton and Singapore’s Shannon Tan.
Keep up to date with all the action throughout on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #JabraLadiesOpenDeFrance.
