Sara Byrne saved her best round for last at the LET’s Ladies Italian Open and the Cork woman climbed up to 59th on the Order of Merit thanks to a three-under 69 while Casandra Alexander again showed why she’s the tour’s number one with an impressive three-stroke win.
Byrne was the only one of five Irish to make the cut, and her final round featured three birdies – on the sixth, seventh, and 14th – and zero bogeys to climb from just above the cutline into a tie for 23rd.
But it was a dominant final round performance from Alexander. The 27-year-old from Johannesburg carded a closing 69 to finish on 12-under-par, three shots clear of Germany’s Sophie Hausmann and American rookie Anna Morgan.
The victory continues a remarkable run of form for Alexander, who lifted the KPMG Women’s Irish Open trophy at The K Club just four weeks ago, a year after earning her maiden LET title at the 2025 Tipsport Czech Ladies Open.
“I’m glad I didn’t have to wait for this one as long as I waited for the previous one,” said Alexander.
“My game’s in the right place to win golf tournaments, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and having more opportunities. As golfers, as soon as you get one, you’re after the next one, so I’m really happy to walk away with the win and it’s great to be here in Italy.”
The South African began the final round tied for the lead alongside Sweden’s Moa Folke and Germany’s Alexandra Försterling, but her path to victory was far from straightforward.
After opening with a birdie, Alexander suffered an early setback with a double bogey at the second and dropped four shots off the pace following another bogey at the fifth. However, she remained patient and ignited her challenge with a crucial eagle on the par-five ninth, moving into a share of the lead alongside Folke and Hausmann heading into the back nine.
As the leaderboard tightened, Morgan made a late charge and briefly drew level with Alexander after a birdie on the 15th. But the South African responded in emphatic fashion, birdieing the 15th, 16th and 18th holes to pull away from the field and seal victory.
“I think once 13 was done I felt like I could cruise a little,” Alexander explained.
“There were two par fives coming in and once I’d hit the tee shot on 17 and got the second shot onto the green, I felt good. Seventeen is a tough hole coming in. I stayed patient enough to get the job done.”
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