After 15 seasons and 210 starts, England’s Eleanor Givens can finally call herself a Ladies European Tour (LET) champion after coming from four shots back on the final day to win the 2026 VP Bank Swiss Ladies.
In a tense showdown at Golfpark Holzhäusern, Givens fired a final round 66 (-5) to pip Whitney Hillier, Alexandra Forsterling and Anna Foster to the title with a winning score of 13-under par.
The one-shot victory is Givens’ first on the LET having joined the circuit back in 2012. Since then the Englishwoman has had several close calls and injury setbacks – even having to return to Q-School in December to fight for her playing rights.
“I can’t believe it!” the 37-year-old said. “I’m so excited and really proud of myself. I’m a little bit in shock as well. I did feel pretty calm today, a lot calmer than I thought I would. I just thought come on, lets go for this. My weekend had a nightmare start [because my clubs arrived late] so it’s kind of fate that I managed to win this week. I took my chance.
“This is life changing. I was looking last year at whether I still wanted to play or not. I decided, ‘no, come on, you’ve got this!’ You’ve got the ability to play and still compete. I’ve worked really, really hard behind the scenes. To have this trophy means so much.”
Sweden’s Kajsa Arwefjall, a runner-up last year, held a three-shot lead before the start of play thanks to some exceptional golf on Thursday and Friday at Golfpark Holzhäusern. However the 26-year-old would drop three shots in her first 10 holes to relinquish the lead and open the door to the chasing pack.
Givens and Hillier, two veterans on tour, would capitalise going out in 32 (-3) and 33 (-2) respectively to share the lead as they made the turn. The former would make a clutch birdie at the 10th thanks to a fine approach and putt before Hillier bounced back with a birdie of her own at the 14th following a pinpoint approach.
The short par-5 17th would then prove decisive in Switzerland. Givens, playing in the penultimate group alongside Forsterling and Wales’ Chloe Williams, found the green in two giving her a comfortable two-putt birdie. Hillier meanwhile found trouble off the tee forcing her to awkwardly punch out from under the trees before missing a putt for birdie.
After Givens made par on the closing hole, a nervous wait transpired as the Englishwoman watched on alongside compatriot and close friend Liz Young – winner of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies in 2022. But her Aussie counterpart would miss both the fairway and green on the 18th eventually salvaging a par – a score which handed Givens her long-awaited LET victory.
“210th time lucky right! No, I always knew I had the capability to win,” Givens said. “This is actually really my first proper time being in contention. Some of just take longer than others.
“I’m so lucky I’ve got such an amazing group of friends on tour. Liz [Young] has won this event too, Christine [Wolf] won in India and it was her final event here this week before she retired. It makes me quite emotional seeing how happy they are for me. It’s cool I get to put to my name on this amazing trophy. I can’t believe it.”
Despite finishing second, Hillier had a week to remember as she returned to her very best following several years of health troubles and challenges off the course.
“It feels so good,” Hillier said, who now gets into the KPMG Women’s Irish Open with the top-10 finish, “The feeling is addictive. You just want to compete, play, and get close to winning. I was bogey-free today. Technically I couldn’t do much else. I mean, I left so many putts out there. But it was tough to read the putts under that sun. It’s my first time contending since 2022 and it felt so good. I slept well and was in a good mental space. It’s just so nice to have my golf back to where it was.”
The Australian ended the week on 12-under par alongside Forsterling – winner of the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open – and Irishwoman Foster who secured her best finish on the LET.
Arwefjall’s wait for a first win on the LET continues after she fired a final round 72 (+1) to finish the week in fifth. Spain’s Amaia Latorre ended the week in sixth on 10-under par thanks to rounds of 65-71-66. Her compatriot Harang Lee ended the week one back in a tie for seventh alongside Wales’ Lydia Hall after chipping in for birdie at the 18th.
Rounding out the top-10 in a tie for ninth on eight-under par were Sweden’s Moa Svedenskiold – current leader of the LET Access Series Order of Merit – and Mexico’s Alejandra Llaneza.
On the LET Order of Merit, Givens jumps to 23rd after collecting 500 points for the win. South Africa’s Casandra Alexander still leads the way on 1,899.98 points.
Next up for the stars of the LET is a trip to the prestigious K Club for the 2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open. The tournament gets underway following an off-week on 27th August.
