A trio of French Ladies European Tour (LET) winners will tee up in the final group at the Joburg Ladies Open on Sunday after Camille Chevalier, Celine Herbin and Agathe Laisne all went low on moving day at Randpark Golf Club.
Chevalier and Herbin lead the way on 16-under par after carding rounds of 67 (-6) and 68 (-5) respectively in South Africa.
Laisne meanwhile, a recent winner at the Ford Women’s NSW Open, trails her counterparts by one-shot following a sensational 65 (-8) on Saturday. This scorecard included a monster 45-foot birdie on the final hole.
Herbin shared the 36-hole lead with USA’s Brianna Navarrosa but fell back early doors after carding a double-bogey at the 1st. The two-time LET winner would bounce back brilliantly birdying the next hole before adding another at the 9th.
With the sun beaming down in Johannesburg, Herbin came alive on the back-nine birdying the 13th before rolling in a lovely eagle on the 14th following an exceptional approach. A birdie-birdie finish for the Frenchwoman would see her reclaim her share of the lead at the top of leaderboard.
“I’m very glad with how I ended up,” Herbin said. “It was a bit of a slow start but I kept fighting and creating opportunities. After nine holes I got a good break with a very good birdie on 13 thanks to a very good shot. The eagle on 14 was then thanks to a very nice putt, I have to say. That helped a lot and kickstarted the round.”
Herbin, 43-years-old, is chasing a third LET victory this week following wins at the 2015 Open de France and 2019 La Reserva de Sotogrande Invitational.
“There is a lot of Frenchwomen at the top which is very nice,” she said. “We always wish each other well so we’re going to have fun tomorrow. I’ve been in the final group a few times in my career. So I’m looking forward to it. This is what we work hard for. Fingers crossed the weather stays nice for us.”
Chevalier meanwhile, playing in the same group, went bogey-free for the second day in a row at Randpark Golf Club. The scorecard included birdies at the 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 18th after a clutch putt in front of the South African fans on the final hole.
“I was definitely in lion mode again today,” Chevalier said, whose sole win on the LET came at the 2017 Hero Women’s Indian Open. “I was very patient again and not thinking too much about birdies. I focused on the information I had. It’s super fun [to be up there with the other French girls]. We’re going to have a fun group tomorrow. It’s cool.”
The pair will tee up alongside Laisne who is enjoying a wonderful start to the 2026 LET season. The 26-year-old currently sits second on the Order of Merit after a victory and runner-up finish during the Aussie swing.
“It feels great,” Laisne said, who is also staying with compariots Agathe Sauzon, Emma Grechi and Anne-Charlotte Mora this week. “I started with two birdies early and then made a bogey so felt a little down, but told myself to just keep going. The birdies then came. The win helped a lot because it shows I can do it on Tour. I’m very grateful I won. It proves I worked hard during the off-season.”
In a tie for fourth on 13-under par sit Navarrosa, Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley and Sweden’s Kajsa Arwefjall. All three are chasing a maiden victory on the LET.
One back from them sits the danger woman in the equation, South Africa’s Casandra Alexander. The home favourite is the highest ranked player in the field sitting 41st in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Alexander soared up the leaderboard on Saturday firing a 67 (-6) to keep her chase alive for a popular home victory.
“Today was a lot better than the last two days,” the 26-year-old said, who chipped in for birdie on the 11th hole. “I still left a couple out there but we’ve still got one day to come so I’ll go on the hunt tomorrow. I’m happy with today. I’ll give it my best shot tomorrow and hopefully it will be good enough.”
Slovenia’s Pia Babnik and France’s Ariane Klotz round off the top-10 in a tie for eighth on 11-under par.
The fourth and final round of the Joburg Ladies Open gets underway tomorrow at 7:15 local time. The French trio at the top of the leaderboard will go out at 10:55 local time. Watch the action live via your local broadcaster as well as right here on the LET website.
You can also keep up with all the action from the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube. #JoburgLadiesOpen
