Germany’s Patricia Schmidt carded the bottom Women European Tour spherical of her profession, a 10-under-par 63 that includes eight birdies and an eagle, to grab the opening-round lead on the Investec South African Girls’s Open on the Royal Cape Golf Membership in Cape City on Thursday, 23 April 2026.
On an impressive autumn day within the Cape, Schmidt’s spherical earned her a two-stroke lead over Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby and Slovenia’s Pia Babnik on this Sunshine Women Tour and Women European Tour co-sanctioned occasion, and a primary for the oldest golf membership in South Africa.
France’s Agathe Laisne, the winner of final week’s Joburg Women Open, got here by means of the opening spherical 5 strokes off the lead. Casandra Alexander and rookie Caitlyn Macnab are the main South Africans following their rounds of three-under-par 70, whereas newbie Lisa Coetzer made a strong begin together with her spherical of two beneath par.
As she walked out of rating recording, a couple of Royal Cape Golf Membership members applauded Schmidt for a outstanding spherical of golf. However whereas they have been nicely conscious of the magic she was making on their fairways, Schmidt was so centered she was virtually oblivious to it.
“Truthfully, I didn’t even know I’d shot 10 beneath till I bought a excessive 5 on the final gap,” mentioned Schmidt.
It was a spherical that was anchored in a chic quick recreation. “I wouldn’t say it was the best spherical off the tee field, however my complete method recreation and my restoration recreation was simply actually good.”
“It was simply a type of days the place you stand behind a putt and browse it and simply clearly see the road. It’s the kind of feeling you search for however which is absolutely exhausting to seek out,” she mentioned.
“Right now it was simply there for my placing.“
Investec South African Girls’s Open Spherical 1 Chief, Patricia Schmidt
The previous Physics pupil and Mechanical Engineering graduate has clearly utilized her thoughts to the sport of golf, and particularly her placing, and got here up with an method which labored for her on Thursday.
“I feel it’s simply trusting the sensation and never overcomplicating it. I simply tried to do this the entire spherical and never wish to gap the putt so badly that I overcomplicate it. However fairly to maintain a quick routine, concentrate on a superb rhythm, give it an opportunity and see if the putt drops.”
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As a lot as her quick recreation stood out, so did her recoveries from these tree-lined fairways.
“What has helped me this yr is my consistency,” mentioned Schmidt. “Although I’ve not hit each fairway, the misses I’ve are approach smaller. So if I must make a restoration I’ve managed to avoid wasting par, which I’ve performed approach higher now in comparison with final yr.”
Day 1 Scores on the Investec South African Girls’s Open on Thursday, 23 April 2026
63 – Patricia Isabel Schmidt (GER)
65 – Smilla Tarning Soenderby (DEN)
65 – Pia Babnik (SVN)
66 – Alessia Nobilio (ITA)
66 – Emma Spitz (AUT), Esme Hamilton (ENG), Emma Grechi (FRA)
67 – Cara Gainer (ENG)
67 – Anna Morgan (USA), Brianna Navarrosa (USA)
68 – Meghan MacLaren (ENG)
68 – Agathe Laisne (FRA), Fernanda Lira (MEX), Alice Hewson (ENG), Diksha Dagar (IND), Amy Lee (USA)
69 – Lydia Corridor (WAL)
69 – Emma Falcher (FRA), Kajsa Arwefjall (SWE)
70 – Lois Lau (FRA)
70 – Justice Bosio (AUS), Pranavi Urs (IND), Casandra Alexander, Sofie Kibsgaard (DEN), Ana Pelaez Trivino (ESP), Aine Donegan (IRL), Tereza Melecka (CZE), Caitlyn Macnab, Luca Thompson (WAL), Maha Haddioui (MAR), Hannah Display (ENG), Alessandra Fanali (ITA), Lisa Pettersson (SWE), Dorota Zalewska (POL)
71 – Tina Mazarino (NOR)
71 – Harang Lee (ESP), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (AUS), Alexandra Forsterling (GER), Kirsten Rudgeley (AUS), Anna Foster (IRL), Anna Huang (CAN), Maria Parra (ESP), Gabrielle Venter, Darcey Harry (WAL), Annabell Fuller (ENG), Lisa Coetzer (a), Amelia Garvey (NZL), Luna Sobron Galmes (ESP), Amaia Latorre (ESP), Lucie Malchirand (FRA)
72 – Olivia Mehaffey (NIR)
72 – Blanca Fernandez (ESP), Kiera Floyd, Corinne Viden (SWE), Kelsey Bennett (AUS), Cecilie Finne-Ipsen (DEN), Zane Kleynhans, Hitaashee Bakshi (IND), Anna Zanusso (ITA), Amy Taylor (ENG), Momoka Kobori (NZL), Roberta Liti (ITA), Thalia Martin (ENG)
73 – Nina Pegova (WHT)
73 – Carolin Kauffmann (GER), Verena Gimmy (GER), Gemma Clews (ENG), Marta Sanz Barrio (ESP), Madelene Stavnar (NOR), Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir (ISL), Cara Gorlei, Ginnie Ding (HKG), Morgane Metraux (SUI), Charlotte Heath (ENG), Katharina Mühlbauer (AUT), Camille Chevalier (FRA), Avani Prashanth (IND), Gabriella Cowley (ENG), Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ), Lily Might Humphreys (ENG), Danielle du Toit
74 – Bobbi Brown
74 – Aunchisa Utama (THA), Lee-Anne Tempo, Ayako Uehara (JPN), Lucie Vachova (CZE), Kajal Mistry, Tvesa Malik (IND), Agathe Sauzon (FRA), Romy Meekers (NED), Sanna Nuutinen (FIN)
75 – Tandi McCallum
75 – Vani Kapoor (IND), Celina Sattelkau (GER), Anne-Charlotte Mora (FRA), Lora Assad, Louise Rydqvist (SWE), Jordan Rothman, Marta Martin (ESP), Sara Kouskova (CZE), Ana Dawson (IMN), Jana Melichova (CZE), Kaiyuree Moodley
76 – Jess Baker (BRI)
76 – Dorthea Forbrigd (NOR), Isabella Ferreira (a), April Angurasaranee (THA), Nadia van der Westhuizen, Vanessa Knecht (SUI)
77 – Laura Beveridge (SCO)
77 – Moa Folke (SWE), Andrea Lignell (SWE), Patricie Mackova (CZE)
78 – Amalie Leth-Nissen (DEN)
78 – Charlotte Millard (a), Alexandra Swayne (ISV)
79 – Hannah Burke (ENG)
79 – Lorna McClymont (SCO)
80 – Hannah Darling (SCO)
81 – Symone Henriques
Unique Copy: Michael Vlismas for the Sunshine Women Tour, with modifying by gsport
Principal Photograph Caption: Germany’s Patricia Schmidt carded the bottom Women European Tour spherical of her profession, a 10-under-par 63 that includes eight birdies and an eagle, to grab the opening-round lead on the Investec South African Girls’s Open on the Royal Cape Golf Membership in Cape City on Thursday, 23 April 2026. All Pictures: Sunshine Women Tour / Mark Sampson
Photograph 2 Caption: Casandra Alexander (pictured) and rookie Caitlyn Macnab are the main South Africans following their rounds of three-under-par 70.
