Recent KPMG Women’s Irish Open champion Casandra Alexander is looking to consolidate her position at the top of the LET Order of Merit with another strong performance in Spain this week.
Alexander is one of 132 players teeing up in the La Sella Open, which features a purse of 1 million euros.
With second ranked Anna Huang not defending her title for medical reasons, due to suffering with Covid, Alexander will be looking to earn the 500 points available for a win and pull away from the chasing pack.
The 27-year-old South African brings momentum following her first victory of the season in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, where she fired a course record 63 (-9) on the opening day and then never relinquished her lead, finally securing her second win on Tour after five runner-up finishes on the LET in 2026.
“I’ve had a good break over the last two weeks at home in Johannesburg and I’m feeling refreshed and ready to go again,” said Alexander, who tied for 15th in the 2025 La Sella Open. “I had a leaking roof at home, so I had to fix that with some of the pay cheque from Ireland, but I just spent some time at home with the hubby and the dogs. I’m getting a new puppy after Italy so I’m getting everything ready for that.”
Regarding her mindset and game coming into this week’s event, she added: “I’m feeling good. It’s always a nice event. It’s a great venue and a great golf course. It can get tricky and it’s different to what we usually play with the grain, so I think it brings different challenges. I’m looking forward to it. My favourite hole is number eight, because it’s very tough off the tee, you have to position yourself well and then it’s a tough shot in, so I think that’s a great hole.
“The goal is always to win, but that’s not always in our control. If I can put together four red numbers, then I’ll be quite happy and see where that gets me.”
This organisers of the La Sella Open design the event for the players, with no Pro-Am and no sponsor back-drops on the golf course. The luxury hotel is on the resort, with excellent, healthy food for every taste and diet.
Alexander continued: “It’s unbelievable. I think the promoter really emphasises us just playing golf with no Pro-Am and I understand that other tournaments need Pro-Ams to keep the sponsors happy, but it’s just a lovely week.
“I personally love Spain. Adrian [my husband] and I both love Spain. If we were to emigrate out of South Africa, we’d probably come out here. Spain is unreal, especially this event. You don’t have to travel far, the food’s great and it’s all here, so it’s an enjoyable week.”
Amongst the field of 132 competitors, the other possible contenders for the title include Kelsey Bennett, Agathe Laisné, Alexandra Forsterling, Shannon Tan, Noora Komulainen Kajsa Arwefjall and Pia Babnik, who are all ranked inside the top ten on the Order of Merit.
