Welcome to this week’s Golf Insider, everyone! Happy September.
I love the ‘ber months, especially the golf that comes with them. From the Race to the CME Globe, to seeing which rising stars get their tour cards, there’s so much on the line at the end of the season. Today, we’re going to catch up with the Ladies European Tour (LET) and their Order of Merit standings.
On Aug. 30, Casandra Alexander captured her second LET title at the 2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open. With her wire-to-wire win in Country Kildare, she gained 500 more points to extend her advantage atop the Order of Merit rankings. The week was a rainy one, but Alexander battled through the conditions to top the field by three strokes.
Alexander began her Irish Open campaign with a 9-under-par 63, taking a four-shot lead after the first round. The 27-year-old from South Africa turned in a clean card on Thursday for her lowest round of the 2026 season. A 63 on a clear, mild day at the K Club is already impressive, but is more so in the wet conditions the field had during the first round.
“Afterwards I saw what I scored and thought, ‘oh, that was good!’ I think it’s important to stay patient in conditions like this. I went with the flow and kept it in the right places,” Alexander said in a post-round interview with the LET on Aug. 27.
In round two, the Order of Merit leader kept her streak of good golf going with a 6-under-par 66. This time, she added two eagles to her scorecard on the par-5 3rd and 10th holes. Alexander said she knew that her play wasn’t at the same level as it was the previous round, but how could you expect more of yourself when the bar was set at 9-under?
“Not as tidy as yesterday. I left some putts right in the throat and had some awkward wedge numbers. But overall pretty good. It was always going to be hard to follow up yesterday’s round. Sometimes that’s really difficult to get two days really flowing and going,” Alexander said.
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Even when more rain pelted the east of Ireland, slowing momentum, Alexander persevered. After she finished her first nine holes at 3-under, the horn blew to suspend play. 45 minutes passed before players were sent back out on the course, and at that point, Alexander couldn’t get her game back to where it was before the break. She posted an even-par back nine to card a third-round 69 (-3).
While Alexander was struggling to score after the rain delay, Czechia’s Sára Kousková was inching closer, cutting down on Alexander’s lead. Kousková took the rain delay in stride, keeping her body warm and mindset positive. She shot a 5-under-par 67 to make the gap between her and first place three strokes.
“The suspension was actually quite fast. I stretched a little bit then rolled in putt right away [at the 10th]. It wasn’t too bad. I didn’t really feel like we stopped play. I’ll try not to think about [Alexander]’s score tomorrow. I’ll just try to put my own good score together,” Kousková said in a post-round interview with the LET on Aug. 29.
Home hero Leona Maguire also took advantage of the Saturday suspension, carding a 63 (-9) of her own to shoot up the leaderboard. Maguire is not only used to playing at K Club but — as an Irish native — used to playing in conditions like Saturday’s. Her nine birdies were enough to boost her into the penultimate final round pairing.
In that final round, Maguire posted another solid round in the 60s, this time a 4-under-par 68. Kousková also came into the clubhouse strong with a 2-under-par 70 to finish in solo second place. But Alexander’s lead was just too much to overcome; she shot a 2-under-par 70 as well to extend her advantage to three strokes and win the tournament.
“Golf is a really tough game,” Alexander said. “When you get into the final group on the final day, something takes over. You either have it or you don’t. I got off to a rocky start, had a couple uncomfortable lies, those are the types of situations you get nervy on. But we steadied the ship with three birdies in a row. I then had a rocky start to the back-nine but steadied the ship again. Overall, happy with my performance. It’s always tough on the final day when you’re leading a golf tournament.”
The fourth place result at this Irish Open was a good look for Maguire, who will play on the European Solheim Cup team in just about a week’s time. Captain Anna Nordqvist clearly had trust in Maguire’s ability to award her a captain’s pick, despite a rollercoaster of a season. But the Irish Open, especially one where she was battling the rain, was a solid primer for some high-caliber competition at Bernardus.
These kinds of results are getting me more and more excited for the 2026 Solheim Cup, so I’ll see you next week to get you ready for it. Until then, golf fans.
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This week in women’s golf
Solheim Cup News
Angel Yin missed two months of golf due to stomach issues but still set to play Solheim Cup
LPGA News
LPGA and Dow open fan voting for the 2026 Dow Impact Award
Ruoning Yin wins 2026 FM Championship at TPC Boston
Kim comes close on Sunday, settles for second at TPC Boston
Corpuz, Zhang close strong at FM Championship, build momentum ahead of Solheim Cup
LPGA Tour heading back to Hong Kong
WTGL News
WTGL announces complete rosters for five founding teams (more on this next week)
ESPN & ION to bring WTGL to fans across the U.S.
LET News
Alexander completes wire-to-wire victory at KPMG Women’s Irish Open
Rydqvist rallies to best LET finish in Ireland
Epson Tour News
Kotomi Fukutake turns Girls Golf Championship into Epson Tour opportunity
Amateur News
Doran, two others tie for medalist honors at 39th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
Two medalists, four former champions advance to round of 32
Meet the 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am quarterfinals
Five at The IX: Ruoning Yin wins 2026 FM Championship for first LPGA title since 2024
On Sunday, Aug. 30, Ruoning (Ronni) Yin claimed an emotional win at the 2026 FM Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. She posted a 2-under-par 70 in the final round to finish two strokes ahead of South Korean competitor Hyo Joo Kim. Yin’s win is her first victory on tour since 2024, and it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride. After several runner-up finishes, Yin finally broke through for her sixth career title. Yin spoke pretty candidly about what this win meant to her in a post-tournament press conference on Aug. 29. Here are some snippets from it.
MATT JESUS: All right, very pleased to be joined by the 2026 winner of the FM Championship, Ronni Yin. Ronni, you told me earlier this year you were really hungry for a win and you felt one coming. You finally got that win. How does the emotions feel right now?
RUONING YIN: I was really emotional when I was on the 18 green and just felt like all the hard work paid off, and just really happy how I grinded out there today.
MATT JESUS: You had a couple runner-up finishes. I know you’ve told us you were a little down on yourself, more than you should be. Was there any advice someone gave you to change your tone and now helped you get to this spot?
RUONING YIN: Yeah, 100 percent. I think I’m just lucky to have like everyone around me just very supportive.
Early in the year, I think it was after Singapore because we have charter to Blue Bay, after the round me and Dave went to hot pot place and he just goes, can I talk to you? I was like, yeah.
He goes, I think you are too harsh on yourself and you don’t look happy on the course. And then we just had a deep talk, and then after that I think I got bad a little bit until I had a couple time runner-up again and I was just like, you know, finish second place feels suck and I don’t like it because I’m super competitive; just don’t like to finish second place.
I was talking to my friend the other day, she goes, second place means you’re capable to win and you’re the first one to the next breakthrough. I think that, yeah, that got me straight into the heart. Since that, I think I change my mindset a little bit.
Q. Ronni, you came to the U.S. and were in Q-II 2021; you were just a nugget. When you look back at the last five seasons, everything you’ve accomplished, did you dream this big, that you would have six wins in five seasons at such a young age?
RUONING YIN: Not at all. Not really. Because when I just got on the Tour my goal for myself just gave myself three years to get used to this environment, and then we’ll see after three years.
But I have accomplished a lot of things right now and this is my sixth win. Yeah, I just feel like five years goes by so quickly and then it’s just time flies.
Right now I got my sixth and I’m waiting for I think seven, eight, nine, ten is coming.
Q. Congratulations, Ronni. I’m wondering that stretch in 2024 when you won three times in five starts, you kind of talk about the expectations other people had of you for winning. Obviously you had such a great stretch there. But did that change your expectations, I don’t want to say think winning is easy, but you know what I mean? Did that change your own expectations?
RUONING YIN: Yes, 100 percent. I think 2024 I won three times. At that time I was like, I’m just feeling like I’m one of the best players out there. But I didn’t win last year and that made me feel like, am I still one of the best? I keep questioning myself.
But I think I’ve learn a lot this year in just — I think I read an article the other day says some people, their life start at 40; some people their life start at 24.
But the life really starts when you don’t live in other people’s comments, don’t live in other people’s expectations. That’s when your life starts.
I think that, yeah, I got tears in my eyes even I think about it. I’m just glad I see that article, yeah. I think that’s something I learned.
Q. And how much has the work that you’ve done mentally, especially after not winning in 2025, how much has the work you’ve done off the course put you in this position today do you think?
RUONING YIN: A lot of work. (Smiling.)
But like I say, I just super grateful for all my team, team members, because they’re the one was with me through all the ups and downs.
And my coach, especially Holton, he just keep telling me—he’s kind of like half coach, half psychologist for me. He just keep telling me, it’s coming, it’s coming. And also start at the beginning of the week he was telling me, I think you’re super close and you just need to be a little bit more patient.
Those guys on my team just give me what I need when the time is right. Just they give me the right things, yeah.
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