Esme Hamilton continued her excellent record at Royal Beroun Golf Club on Friday at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open opening with a bogey-free 64 (-8) to sit one off the lead.
The Englishwoman finished T2 at this event in 2025, a performance which announced herself on the Ladies European Tour (LET), but was nearly unable to compete this year after experiencing a freak injury at last week’s Dutch Ladies Open.
“We were staying at a campsite and had all the windows and doors open because it was so hot,” Hamilton explained. “The canopy was fluttering and this wind then literally came out of nowhere. We had to hold it down to stop it tearing off part of the van, it was terrifying. In the process one of the roof windows broke off and hit my hand. It’s not crazy, but I have a cut across my knuckle. The bruising and swelling meant I couldn’t hold a golf club last week.”
Returning home to England to heal the wounds, Hamilton only arrived in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, two days ahead of this week’s competition.
Despite the cuts still evident across her hand, the 26-year-old had an opening round to remember at Royal Beroun Golf Club carding six birdies and one eagle in the afternoon. She trails Wales’ Lydia Hall by one shot after a low scoring first day in the Czech Republic.
“I’m really happy with the round,” Hamilton said, who was four-under par for her final three holes. “I didn’t really know if I was going to be able to play this week with the random injury last week. But it’s all good. I’m just very happy to be back with good vibes. I just wanted to enjoy it out there today and I feel like I did that. I hit a lot of close shots and holed some great putts. Steady with a little sprinkle of good.
“My fingers feel fine. The cuts have healed up nicely and all the swelling has gone. There’s just a little bit of bruising. It’s good. I’m just trying to keep it all in perspective.“
Hamilton, now in her second year on the LET, earned her maiden victory on the circuit two months ago at the Investec SA Women’s Open. It was a win which earned her a spot at both The Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open.
Teeing up alongside home favourite Sara Kouskova this week, the Englishwoman is embracing the new found attention the victory is bringing her.
She said: “Definitely since South Africa, I have always been in one of the big featured groups. I played with Helen Briem in Germany, Maha Haddioui in Morocco, and now Sara Kouskova here. I feel like I’ve been in those groups where there’s been a lot of crowds and I feel that’s only good preparation for the big events and the majors. A lot of people are coming to watch me at the AIG Women’s Open so it’s good to get used to zoning out the bigger crowds.”
Follow all the action throughout the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #TipsportCzechLadiesOpen.
