South Africa’s Casandra Alexander had to sleep on the lead for three nights, but she can sleep soundly on the fourth knowing that she’s now a two-time LET winner and the latest to have her name inscribed on the KPMG Women’s Irish Open trophy.
After opening with a nine-under 63 on Thursday, then starting eagle-birdie-birdie on Friday, it looked as though it could turn into a rout of epic proportions, but the five-stroke lead she enjoyed at the halfway mark was trimmed to three after 54 holes.
Despite five runner-up finishes in 2026 and holding the number one ranking on the LET, Alexander only had one LET victory to her name, with that coming at the 2025 Tipsport Czech Ladies Open in which she came from behind and posted an early clubhouse target was never never beaten.
A bogey-bogey start to round two suggested that she may have trouble getting over the line again, and she was forced to hole a six-footer for par on four to avoid losing sole possession of the lead.
That par save seemed to settle the nerves, and she went on to birdie the next three holes to take firm control once again and she kept clear daylight between herself and the chasing pack thereafter.
The tournament clinching moment obviously came on 18 when she swept home a two-foot par putt to finish on 20-under-par, but the moment that put it beyond doubt came on 15 when, having returned from a 30-minute inclement weather delay, she drained a 15-footer for birdie with Sara Kouskova, her closest rival, sizing her own birdie putt from closer range.
Alexander made hers, and Kouskova missed, and that gave her an adequate cushion coming into the final three holes.
“It was kind of a rocky start,” Alexander admitted afterwards. “I had a couple of uncomfortable lies and, and those types of situations that it’s easy to get nervy on, but we steadied the ship with three birdies in a row, so that was a little bit better and then I had a bit of a rocky start to the back nine and steadied the ship again, with the weather on and off.
“So overall, I’m very happy with my performance.”
The win now gives Alexander a strong lead at the top of the Order of Merit, and she doesn’t shy away from the importance she’s placed on winning that particular race.
“Yeah, definitely, the Order of Merit is goal number one,” she said. “And the best way to win the Order of Merit is to win golf tournaments, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Kouskova finished in solo second at -17, three shots in arrears, with Finland’s Noora Komulainen taking solo third at -16.
Leona Maguire was left to rue missed chances over the first 36 holes as a 13-under-par weekend saw her come up five shots shy and finish tied for fourth, equalling her best performance in a KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn gave her an outside chance of staging a smash and grab, but she was unable to find the extra four of five birdies she needed over the closing stretch and a bogey on 17 was the final nail in the coffin.
There was still time for a grandstand finish, however, as her 77-yard wedge shot into the last danced around the hole and settled at tap-in range, eliciting the biggest roar from the large gallery that had gathered to watch the island green.
“That was probably the highlight moment of the week,” she said of her approach to 18. “That was nice, big crowd, big cheer. Nice to be able to hit it close and tap it in rather than having to think about it.”
Maguire was full of praise for the tournament and venue, and admitted that she’d probably enjoyed this tournament more than any of the other four since the tournament’s revival.
“I think I enjoyed this year a lot more than I have done in the past,” she said. “You know, I felt very much at home here in The K Club. Everyone here couldn’t have done enough. Everyone was so nice, so welcoming, so helpful and, I was probably a bit more relaxed. I didn’t really go into this week with that much expectation, didn’t put too much pressure on myself and just tried to enjoy the week for what it was, and I suppose that might be the strategy going forward.”
Lauren Walsh finished next best of the Irish at -8 and tied for 24th, two shots ahead of Anna Foster who finished T30.
Aine Donegan closed with a 73 to finish T35 on -4, with Annabel Wilson T47 at -2 and Canice Screene tied for 54th at -1.
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