Agathe Laisne survives playoff to claim 2026 Joburg Ladies Open title

Agathe Laisne survives playoff to claim 2026 Joburg Ladies Open title

2026 Joburg Ladies Open winner Agathe Laisne says she had to dig deep after a rain delay to secure victory over South Africa’s Cassandra Alexander and Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley.

The French professional sealed the win with a birdie on the final hole of a playoff to claim her second Ladies European Tour title. 

Speaking to SABC Sport, Laisne said she had to stay motivated and maintain a positive mindset during the closing stages of the playoff at Randpark Golf Club.

"Yeah, on [hole] 18 I made par on my fourth round and I thought, 'Oh, I'm going to be second because Cassandra is going to be -20," said Laisne.

"Unfortunately for her, she wasn't and I was able to get into the playoffs so I was very happy, and I had the mindset of trying to do my best in the playoffs."

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The 26-year-old further reflected on enduring a five-hole playoff marathon, which saw the competition conclude almost in the dark. 

"I did experience a playoff [before] but never this long, so that was a first, and it was getting dark out there so I'm very glad I got it done," she added.

"And I'm very happy I was able to win, after a lot of stress, and now I'm going to rest a little bit."

Laisne added that adjusting her game after the rain delay was not a big challenge, given her familiarity with playing in wet conditions on her home course. 

"The course was great, I loved that it's very green because there's a lot of rain and it reminds me of my [home] golf course, and yeah, it's lovely.

"You have to be very strategic with the bunkers in play a lot, and the greens are very fast so that was nice," she concluded.