The “positive vibes” were flowing for Mimi Rhodes on day one of the 2026 Wistron Ladies Open as the Solheim Cup winner made a welcome return to Ladies European Tour (LET) action.
Teeing up on the circuit for the first time since winning the biennial tournament in the Netherlands, Rhodes, a rookie in Anna Nordqvist’s team in September, started strong in Chinese Taipei opening with a round of 68 (-4).
The scorecard included four birdies and no dropped shots at Sunrise Golf & Country Club to position the Team Europe star T9, four shots adrift of leader Casandra Alexander who had a flawless day of her own.
“I’m pretty happy,” Rhodes said, teeing up on the LET for the first time since the AIG Women’s Open in July. “I haven’t had the greatest year so far, so it’s nice to have a round without bogeys and without stress for once. I putted really well, holed some nice ones to start and got my confidence there. I hit plenty of greens, just the putts stopped dropping on the back nine, but a nice one went in on eight. Overall, it was a good day. My driver probably needs a bit of improving to make it a bit more consistent, but I’m really happy.”
A three-time winner on the LET, all of which came in 2025, Rhodes has been competing on the LPGA for most of 2026 where she sits 104th on the Race to CME Globe season rankings.
In a similar vein to Chiara Tamburlini last week in India, Rhodes is enjoying being back on the tour where she started her professional career.
“I hadn’t seen loads of girls since Saudi this year,” the 24-year-old explained, making her sixth LET start of 2026 this week. “It’s been nice seeing everyone and playing practice rounds with them. It’s a really friendly tour and it’s nice to be welcomed back.
“It just seems a bit more relaxed here. The day of the pro-am, I went out to practice and not many people were out there practicing. On the LPGA, people would be practicing as soon as it gets light. I didn’t feel bad to not practice enough. It’s been nice to have a bit more time to relax.”
A popular figure on the LET, Rhodes was also boosted by playing alongside compatriot Alice Hewson on day one at the Wistron Ladies Open.
“We were definitely feeding off of each other,” the Englishwoman said. “I holed some nice ones to start with. Alice [Hewson] missed some at the beginning but then started holing some. Then it definitely went back and forth between us. It was good, really positive vibes out there and the Taiwanese player [Yu-Sang Hou] in our group was also nice.“
Rhodes gets under way for round two on Friday at 6:40 local time where the wind is expecting to pick up at Sunrise Golf & Country Club.
She continued: “We have already practiced with a bit of wind in the last three days. On this course, I think it’s mostly going to be crosswinds and trusting your target. I will go and hit some drives on the range to make sure I’ve got my start line good. It’s definitely going to make putting a bit more frustrating, so it’s staying positive with that. We’re used to the wind.”
Keep up to date with all the action throughout the Wistron Ladies Open via @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #2026WistronLadiesOpen.
