England’s Mimi Rhodes, Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, and Italy’s Alessia Nobilio will all head into the final round of the Dutch Ladies Open tied at the top of the leaderboard, after impressive performances on Saturday saw them all climb to six-under par at Goyer Golf & Country Club.
For Rhodes and Nobilio – both rookies on the Ladies European Tour (LET) – it was another chance to showcase their talent amongst the packed field.
The current Order of Merit leader secured six birdies on her scorecard, positioning herself for what could be a third title in her rookie season – a remarkable achievement for the 23-year-old.
“It was really good today,” said Rhodes. “I played some solid golf today. My putts started dropping early on the back nine, and that helped settle me. From there, I just kept the momentum going and had fun out there.”
The two-time LET winner started the day one shot back from overnight leaders – Sofie Kibsgaard and Dorota Zalewska. Rhodes had a relatively slow start to the second round but then secured back-to-back birdies on the 7th and 8th holes, followed by another two on holes 10 and 11 which set the tone for a low scoring round.
Rhodes went home for a couple of days after the Aramco Korea Championship and saw her sister back in the UK.
“We went into London and just had a day off from golf which was really nice. We used some of the Korean skincare and I just caught up on sleep. I also caught up with an old friend. We went on a run, out for lunch, and on the tube which I hadn’t been on in a while so was good to reset. Just spending time with her was really nice.”
The rookie said that having just a couple of days away from golf definitely helped leading into this week. “I got to see the course a couple of days ago when I arrived, and I really liked the look of it and layout.”
Before Korea, the 23-year-old had been working a lot on her putting. “I came in with more of an open mind without putting too much pressure on myself. They just started dropping today which is good.”
Rhodes currently leads the Order of Merit on 1,046.88 points and admits this season has already exceeded expectations.
“Not in a million years did I think this would be how my rookie season would go. The support has been incredible – so many people have reached out. It’s given me a huge confidence boost heading into the bigger events. I’m just really happy.”
This week, she’s also enjoying some family time in the Netherlands, with her brother and his fiancée here for support.
“I picked them up from the airport and we passed through Amsterdam. We had dinner, though it was late, so we didn’t get to explore much. I did see the canal boats though, which was really cool. Hopefully we can go back this afternoon.”
Meanwhile, Nobilio carded a bogey-free round to climb into a share of the lead. Starting from the 10th tee, the 23-year-old showed great composure in windy conditions, securing back-to-back birdies on both the front and back nine.
“It was so good today,” said Nobilio. “I hit so many good shots and made putts when I needed to. The main thing is I was really patient in the wind, so I’m proud of that.”
After battling inconsistency last season, her place in contention feels especially meaningful.
“I’ve struggled with my game a little last year, so to be here in contention is massive for me. Mimi and I are good friends – we’ve played together a lot in junior golf – so I’m excited for tomorrow.”
She’s no stranger to the Netherlands, having visited a few times before. After landing on Monday, she even made a quick trip into Amsterdam.
“I feel like we always end up searching for Italian restaurants wherever we go,” she said.
Joining them at six-under-par is Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, who posted one of the day’s most impressive rounds—a six-under-par 66. The four-time LET winner, also starting on the 10th tee, closed with five birdies in her last seven holes.
“It was a good day. The course has a lot of trees, so it’s tricky. You really have to think about distances. I made more putts and trusted the process,” she said.
Iturrioz has been focusing on improving her wedge play and mental approach, especially after dealing with an injury earlier in the season.
“I couldn’t practice much before Korea, so I used that time to work on my mindset. I’m trying to be better every day in all areas of my game.”
She’s also enjoying her time in the Netherlands:
“I love Amsterdam. It’s so green and the bikes everywhere are great. This is my fourth time here – I really like it.”
Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes made the biggest move of the day, with a course-record of 65 (-7). Starting the day on two-over par, she commented: “It feels really good. My putter was on fire, especially that eagle putt. I’m just going to keep going step by step, enjoy it, and keep doing what’s working.”
Also in the mix is New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori, who fired a solid four-under par (68) despite winds in the afternoon.
“It was really tough out there with the wind, but I managed to keep big numbers off the card and convert a few birdies. It was tough to judge the conditions and play smart golf. I’m definitely excited heading into tomorrow.”
Kobori has been working hard in the offseason, and her consistency over the first two rounds has been a confidence boost.
“It’s been a little frustrating early in the season, but the last two days have been very solid.
“I’m definitely excited heading into tomorrow. To be in that position where I have a bit of a crack at it is great as I haven’t really been in this situation recently. So it’s really nice to see that I’m able to put some good scores together and hopefully I can have a bit of fun tomorrow and then see what happens.
It’s a tight leaderboard with three players in a share of sixth place. Morocco’s Maha Haddioui, Denmark’s Sofie Kibsgaard, and Hong Kong’s Ginnie Ding, all fired rounds of four-under par after 36 holes.
“I still feel like I left a few shots out there – especially with how I finished yesterday, and even a bit today,” said the 36-year-old. “But I’m really enjoying the course and the layout. I love when a course is tricky and makes you think. It’s been great to see the work starting to pay off.”
Haddioui credited her support team for keeping her game and mindset sharp this week.
“Having my mental coach here has been a big help, and I’ve also been doing a lot of good work with my swing coach. Staying intentional with every shot and maintaining the right mindset has made a big difference.
“I’m not putting any extra pressure on myself. I’m just taking it one shot at a time.”
Although she hasn’t had time to explore Amsterdam this time around, Haddioui has fond memories of the city.
“We came straight from Korea, and after playing several weeks in a row, the jet lag’s been tough. I haven’t had the chance to go into Amsterdam this week, but I’ve been before with my sister before, and we absolutely loved it.”
Only one-shot back are seven players in a tie for ninth place on three-under par, making it an exciting last day with lots of players still in contention. This included home favourite Anne van Dam, who was this week announced captain of Team Europe for the 2026 PING Junior Solheim Cup.
Van Dam carded a steady round, with her only dropped shot coming on the 14th, finishing the day at three-under-par after 36 holes.
“It was a good round. I gave myself plenty of chances and made some solid up-and-downs, so overall I’m happy with how I played. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
Playing on home soil, the local support has been a major boost for the 28-year-old: “There were some great crowds out there today, and that’s one of the best things about playing at home. When you’re playing well, even more people come out to watch. By the time I got to the back nine, the crowd had really built up, which was amazing. Finishing with a good score made it even better.”
With the crowd behind her and momentum on her side, van Dam will look to make a final push on Sunday in front of her home fans.
The third and final round of the Dutch Ladies Open gets underway tomorrow morning at 9:05am (local time), with the leaders teeing off at 11:06am (local time).
After 36 holes of action, 70 players made the cut which fell at four-over-par.
Follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook –#DutchLadiesOpen.
