The 2025 Tipsport Czech Ladies Open was an emotional one for Jana Melichova with the 2022 winner sidelined from her home event due to a long-term back injury.
Melichova, who won the tournament as an amateur four years ago, was absent from competition for 12 months after the physical trauma required surgery at the tail-end of 2024.
Having missed her home event, the two-time Ladies European Tour (LET) winner made an incredible return at the La Sella Open in September 2025 finishing the week in seventh position.
The Czech star is now revelling in “complete happiness” at Royal Beroun Golf Club as she is able to compete at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open once again.
“I’m really just enjoying trying to be here because last year I didn’t play,” Melichova said. “I managed to finish the year but I didn’t play most of the season and it was a torture not to be able to play competitions. I’m just really happy to be here and to be at home.
“Remembering from last year, I joined the press conference before the tournament and I completely broke down. I was crying like a baby because I didn’t know how it was going to be with me, what was going to happen, whether I would be able to play fully. There were a lot of things still unsure for me. It’s complete happiness now.”
In 2022, Melichova produced something which has happened only 15 times in the history of the LET – winning as an amateur. The Czech player earned full LET status with the stunning victory and followed it up with another win at the 2024 Dutch Ladies Open.
“It was incredibly special to win,” Melichova said. “I achieved something which is very rare. I mean, to win a professional tournament as an amateur is something that does not happen every week. I try to think about it when I’m sometimes at my lows. I achieved something that is very rare in golf. I use it to give me confidence that I can achieve special things. It’s in me.”
As for this week, Melichova is one of 11 Czech players teeing up on home soil – a group which includes fellow LET winners Sara Kouskova and Kristyna Napoleaova.
“I can actually sleep in my own bed this week which is nice!” Melichova said. “But I think the best thing is that you have your fans here which I think is great. You have your family here too which is something that gives you energy like no other tournament. My dad will be here, but it’s going to be really hot so I’m not putting too much pressure on them! But my dad will for sure show up. It’s going to be really nice.
“It’s incredible how far Czech golf has moved since I started on tour. It used to just be really only Klara [Davidson Spilkova]. It’s incredible that there’s eight or nine of us every week now. I think it’s great. We all support each other and it’s really amazing.”
As for form, the 2026 season has proved to be a difficult one for Melichova so far with the 28-year-old missing five from eight cuts which includes a withdrawal at last week’s Dutch Ladies Open. Her best finish came in Australia at the Women’s Australian Open where fired a third round 65 en route to finishing T7.
“I’ve had a tough couple of weeks so I’m not really having any expectations for the tournament,” Melichova said. “I would like to have this week be the breaking point for me to get back to my confident self and my normal plight. I’ve been struggling so that’s the wishful thinking that I have for this week to turn things around.”
The 54-hole Tipsport Czech Ladies Open gets underway on Friday morning. Follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #TipsportCzechLadiesOpen.
