Rookie Willams banks a strong start at Standard Bank Ladies Open

Kaylah Williams. Credit: Sunshine Ladies Tour

DURBANVILLE (Western Cape), 5 March 2026 – Sunshine Ladies Tour rookie, Kaylah Williams, carded an impressive seven-under-par 65 to lead by three shots after Thursday’s opening round of the Standard Bank Ladies Open hosted by The City of Cape Town at Durbanville Golf Club.

Williams only turned professional at the end of 2025, after playing college golf in America.

“I played at Florida University for four years where I was captain during my last year.  Being a professional golfer is tough. All of a sudden playing for cuts and for money. It’s pressure, but I love it because I am doing a sport that I love.”

Playing in only her third tournament as a professional on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, the South African rookie started her opening round on the 10th tee. After turning in one under following a slow start, she moved to another level on the second nine with four birdies and an eagle.

“Not the nicest of starts for sure.  My shots were a little bit all over the place, but I relied on my chipping and putting and I made a lot of up-and-downs.  My game came together on the front nine. I just stayed patient and eventually putts started to drop,” Williams said.

But Williams doesn’t want to get ahead of herself with two more rounds to come.

“Yes I’ve done very well this round, but I’ve got two more very important days ahead of me.  I’ve put myself in a very good position, and I’m just going to stick to the same gameplan, the same thoughts, and step on that tee-box in the second round like it is the first day,” she said.

Germany’s Carolin Kauffmann is in second place on four under par followed by the 2024 champion Gabrielle Venter and Northern Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey, who both signed for rounds of 69.

SCORES

65 – Kaylah Williams
68 – Carolin Kauffmann (GER)
69 – Olivia Mehaffey (NIR)
69 – Gabrielle Venter
70 – Lois Lau (FRA)
70 – Bronwyn Doeg
71 – Isabella van Rooyen
71 – Romy Meekers (NED), Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ), Kelsey Nicholas, Danielle du Toit, Thalia Martin (ENG)
72 – Ivanna van der Merwe
72 – Rebecca Earl (ENG), Ellie Gower (ENG), Hulda Gestsdottir (ICE), Lianna Bailey (ENG), Tiffany Arafi (SUI), Hanna Tauber (GER), Nadia van der Westhuizen, Lee-Anne Pace
73 – Mia Eales-Smith (ENG)
73 – Lorna McClymont (SCO), Charlotte Liautier (FRA), Kiera Floyd
74 – Canice Screene (IRL)
74 – Gala Dumez (FRA), Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir (ISL), Madelene Stavnar (NOR), Louisa Carlbom (SWE), Jordan Rothman, Doris Chen (TPE), Rosie Belsham (ENG), Hayley Davis (ENG)
75 – Gia Raad (a)
75 – Ellen Hume (ENG), Chloe Salort (FRA), Michaela Fletcher, Cara Ford, Tina Mazarino (NOR), Kaiyuree Moodley, Lora Assad, Symone Henriques, Stacy Bregman
76 – Anita Uwadia (BRI)
76 – Kristyna Napoleaova (CZE), Anais Meyssonnier (FRA), Tara Baglione, Nina Pegova (WHT), Lenanda Nel, Chiara Horder (GER), Demi Flanagan, Cara Gorlei
77 – Maegan Webster (a)
77 – Andrea Bergsdottir (ISL), Marianne Skarpnord (NOR), Theresa de Bochdanovits (GER), Zane Kleynhans, Ashley Chow (CAN), Emie Peronnin (FRA), Charlotte Millard (a)
78 – Ellandri van Heerden
78 – Odette Booysen (a), Danielle Hardwick (ENG), Taylor White (SCO), Michelle Forsland (NOR), Sophie Witt (GER), Bobbi Brown
79 – Hester Sicking (NED)
79 – Naom Wafula (KEN), Lynette Fourie, Tandi McCallum, Hannah Karg (GER), Pasqualle Coffa (NED)
80 – Lee-Ann van der Merwe (a)
80 – Chante van Zyl, Michaela Vavrova (SVK), Lindi Coetzee, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)
81 – Shawnelle de Lange
81 – Clara Pietri (SUI)
82 – Leontine Petit (FRA)
82 – Louise Duncan (SCO), Linn Wiberg (SWE)
84 – Kaylee Webster (a)
84 – Lilly Speer (a) (GER)
85 – Kim de Klerk
89 – Kayla van der Merwe (a)

Press release by Michael Vlismas Media, Sports Media Specialists

In 2013 the WPGA formed a partnership with the Sunshine Tour which resulted in the successful launch of the Sunshine Ladies Tour in 2014 and the partnership continues to this day.  The WPGA has controlling rights of all Women’s Professional Golf events events hosted in South Africa and control over the Women’s Tour.

The Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets, operating in 21 African countries, 4 global financial centres and 2 offshore hubs.  Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, we are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with share code SBK, and the Namibian Stock Exchange, share code SNB.  Standard Bank has a 163-year history in South Africa and started building a franchise outside southern Africa in the early 1990s.  Our strategic position, which enables us to connect Africa to other select emerging markets as well as pools of capital in developed markets, and our balanced portfolio of businesses, provide significant opportunities for growth.

As at 30 June 2025, Standard Bank Group had 19.2 million clients, employed over 50 000 people (including Liberty) and had over 1 180 points of representation and over 5 400 ATMs across the African continent.  The group’s largest shareholder is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank, with a 19.7% shareholding.  In addition, Standard Bank Group and ICBC share a strategic partnership that facilitates trade and deal flow between Africa, China and select emerging markets.  For further information, go to http://www.standardbank.com