Cara Gainer is feeling confident heading into this week’s MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius after back-to-back top-10 results in South Africa.
The English star, who won her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title in 2025, finished in a share of fifth place at the Joburg Ladies Open.
Gainer then followed that up with a runner-up finish at the Investec SA Women’s Open in Cape Town. The 30-year-old was pleased to be back in contention and near the top of the leaderboard
“It obviously provided definitely different tests throughout the week,” she said. “I shot two really low rounds on Thursday and Friday, which is really nice. I continued how I was playing in Joburg, where I had some low rounds there as well. I felt they were reasonably similar courses.
“The same sort of shots were required and the greens pretty soft, so definitely when the conditions were good, you could take advantage, which I did on the first two days and then I knew that the weather was going to get tricky for the weekend. I’m really pleased with the last two weeks as well.
“It was definitely nice to be in the final group for two days in a row. It’s been a few months since that happened. I think I’ve just found a little few things in my swing, which I’m really pleased with and I’m getting a bit more confidence back. I’ve been in those positions before, and I know what to expect. It was a fun battle out there.”
Gainer has had a solid start to 2026 but made some changes after the Australian swing, which she believes has helped her re-find her form.
The LET winner, who is currently ninth in the Order of Merit, is aiming for another victory in 2026 and would like to top the rankings too.
She continued: “I was pretty disappointed with the Australian swing. I made all the cuts, but it just wasn’t quite what I was looking for, and I made a couple of changes after that.
“I feel a little a bit more confident about what I’m doing now and I’m taking a bit more control about my game and where I want to go and having had two really great weeks in a row now.
“Obviously, that’s catapulted me back up to where I want to be – in the top 10 on the rankings. That’s definitely something that I want to continue this season. I’d like to get another win, and I’d like to win the Order of Merit, it was definitely on my goal list at the beginning of the year and is still on the agenda.”
The LET is set for an historic week in Mauritius with the island hosting an LET tournament for the first time ever.
Constance Belle Mare Plage is the beautiful venue with a 120 player field teeing it up on the Legend Course.
Gainer was excited to be visiting Mauritius for the second time and is loving having everything so close on site in a stunning setting.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” she said. “As soon as I saw that Mauritius was on the schedule, I knew that was 100% one that I was going to play. It’s just amazing to be at such a beautiful location and a beautiful hotel as well. Good to have a bit of downtime, which is really important.
“We’ve had two really long weeks in South Africa, especially with weather and tricky conditions. To come here and be able to have a whole day off, it’s just nice to feel like you can relax and unwind rather than straight into seriousness.
“It makes it easy when everything is just so close and you don’t really need to worry about your timings as much as a normal tournament week. It’s just nice to be able to switch off, and have a bit more of a relaxing week, but still be really on it at the same time. I often play my best when I’m relaxed as well.”
This week will also be extra special for Gainer, as she will be joined by husband Seb who has Mauritian heritage.
She added: “Seb often comes to very good tournaments, I’m sure everyone was expecting him to turn up to this one. His mum is actually Mauritian, so his parents are also coming out to watch for the week. That’ll be the first time they’ve ever watched me play golf, which will be nice as well. It’s nice to obviously have him here and he is caddying as well.”
The MCB Ladies Classic – Mauritius takes place from May 1-3 on the Legend Course at the Constance Belle Mare Plage.
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.
