Chasing her second title in this prestigious Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour event, Casandra Alexander made a strong start to her Joburg Ladies Open campaign, carding a four-under-par 69 to sit three strokes behind the leading trio at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, 6 April 2026.
Alexander opened with a four-under-par 69 and sits three strokes behind the shared lead of French duo Agathe Laisne and Ariane Klotz, and American Brianna Navarrosa, who all carded seven-under-par 66s.
The leading trio hold a one-stroke advantage after an opening day where a soft and receptive course made for good scoring across the field.
Alexander teed off her round on the 10th hole and recovered from an early bogey with five birdies, an eagle and two further bogeys to complete her round.
“I wasn’t too worried about starting with a bogey on 10. That is one of the tougher holes on this course, so my caddie and I said in our prep for the week that if we could make par there all week we’d be happy because it is a tougher hole. So I didn’t panic with that opening bogey,” Alexander said.
“It wasn’t a solid round. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but a tidy rollercoaster.”
Leading South African at the Joburg Ladies Open, Casandra Alexander
Alexander briefly held a share of the on-course lead with her eagle on the par-five second hole, her 11th hole of the day.
“I hit a really good tee shot and had a nice number for my four iron in, so just trusted it off the left with the wind from that direction. And I rolled the putt in. An easy way to make an eagle, I guess,” she explained.
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Alexander is chasing her second title in this Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour event and is looking to become only the second multiple winner of the Joburg Ladies Open following her victory in 2021, which would see her join Ashleigh Buhai as the only players to have achieved this feat.
“It’s still early days, but it’s nice to shoot an under par round on day one. I had a disappointing bogey finish with a three putt, but that’s golf and it happens. I’ve hopefully got three days of good golf to come,” Alexander added.
At the top of the leaderboard, Laisne dropped only one shot in her round. She arrived in South Africa in terrific form having claimed her maiden victory on the Ladies European Tour in Australia in February and a runners-up finish in the Women’s Australian Open in March. She currently sits second on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit behind Alexander.
Laisne is one of the few players who chooses not to have a caddie, preferring to work according to her own timing and pace.
“I like to do my own thing. I don’t have to worry about when the caddie is arriving at the course. I can work according to my own timing.”
Round 1 Clubhouse Leader, France’s Agathe Laisne
The Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour professionals treated some of the city’s young golfers to a golf clinic at the Joburg Ladies Open, with Loyiso Masuku, the Executive Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, officially teeing off the 2026 tournament.
Day 1 Scores at the Joburg Ladies Open on Thursday, 16 April 2026
66 – Agathe Laisne (FRA)
66 – Brianna Navarrosa (USA), Ariane Klotz (FRA)
67 – Laura Beveridge (SCO)
67 – Justice Bosio (AUS), Jess Baker (BRI)
68 – Pia Babnik (SVN)
68 – Lydia Hall (WAL), Celine Herbin (FRA)
69 – Amy Lee (USA)
69 – Emie Peronnin (FRA), Luna Sobron Galmes (ESP), Maha Haddioui (MAR), Casandra Alexander, Cara Gainer (ENG), Louisa Carlbom (SWE), Dorthea Forbrigd (NOR), Hannah Screen (ENG), Morgane Metraux (SUI), Tina Mazarino (NOR)
70 – Romy Meekers (NED)
70 – Pranavi Urs (IND), Blanca Fernandez (ESP), Alice Hewson (ENG), Nadia van der Westhuizen, Harang Lee (ESP), Vanessa Knecht (SUI), Verena Gimmy (GER), Kelsey Bennett (AUS), April Angurasaranee (THA), Camille Chevalier (FRA), Kirsten Rudgeley (AUS), Patricia Isabel Schmidt (GER), Emma Falcher (FRA), Madelene Stavnar (NOR), Chloe Salort (FRA), Sophie Witt (GER)
71 – Annabell Fuller (ENG)
71 – Ana Pelaez Trivino (ESP), Kajsa Arwefjall (SWE), Amelia Garvey (NZL), Olivia Cowan (GER), Darcey Harry (WAL), Kiera Floyd, Corinne Viden (SWE), Lily May Humphreys (ENG), Cecilie Finne-Ipsen (DEN), Sofie Kibsgaard (DEN), Danielle du Toit, Momoka Kobori (NZL), Anna Foster (IRL), Anna Zanusso (ITA), Caitlyn Macnab
72 – Ana Dawson (IMN)
72 – Tvesa Malik (IND), Emma Grechi (FRA), Thalia Martin (ENG), Gabrielle Venter, Alexandra Swayne (ISV), Lorna McClymont (SCO), Alexandra Forsterling (GER), Diksha Dagar (IND), Charlotte Heath (ENG), Aunchisa Utama (THA), Luca Thompson (WAL), Lucie Vachova (CZE), Alessia Nobilio (ITA), Meghan MacLaren (ENG), Esme Hamilton (ENG), Lee-Anne Pace, Ginnie Ding (HKG), Anna Morgan (USA), Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ)
73 – Patricie Mackova (CZE)
73 – Cara Gorlei, Amaia Latorre (ESP), Olivia Mehaffey (NIR), Zane Kleynhans, Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir (ISL), Anne-Charlotte Mora (FRA), Amy Taylor (ENG), Lois Lau (FRA), Celina Sattelkau (GER), Hannah Burke (ENG), Tereza Melecka (CZE)
74 – Gabriella Cowley (ENG)
74 – Hannah Darling (SCO), Carolin Kauffmann (GER), Lianna Bailey (ENG), Anna Huang (CAN), Klara Davidson Spilkova (CZE)
75 – Lisa Coetzer (a)
75 – Marianne Skarpnord (NOR), Doris Chen (TPE), Emma Spitz (AUT), Marta Martin (ESP), Avani Prashanth (IND), Katharina Mühlbauer (AUT), Marta Sanz Barrio (ESP), Ayako Uehara (JPN), Louise Rydqvist (SWE), Fernanda Lira (MEX), Gemma Clews (ENG), Amalie Leth-Nissen (DEN)
76 – Maria Parra (ESP)
76 – Emily Penttila (FIN), Stacy Bregman, Agathe Sauzon (FRA), Roberta Liti (ITA), Lucie Malchirand (FRA)
77 – Jordan Rothman
77 – Hitaashee Bakshi (IND), Sanna Nuutinen (FIN), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)
78 – Kaiyuree Moodley
78 – Andrea Lignell (SWE), Ellen Hume (ENG)
80 – Thalia Kirby (ENG)
80 – Hayley Davis (ENG)
81 – Aine Donegan (IRL)
Original Copy: Michael Vlismas for the Sunshine Ladies Tour, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: South African golfer Casandra Alexander carded a four-under-par 69 in the opening round as she pursues her second Joburg Ladies Open title, at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, 6 April 2026. All Photos: Sunshine Ladies Tour/Perfect Exposure
Photo 2 Caption: Currently second on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit behind Alexander, France’s Agathe Laisne dropped only one shot to top the leaderboard after Round 1.
Photo 3 Caption: Brianna Navarrosa (Pictured, USA) and France’s Ariane Klotz also carded Round 1 scores of 66 to share the lead with Laisne after Round 1.
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