Bel Wardle shot a stunning final round 67 to finish on 13-under overall and clinch the Lavaux Ladies Open by one shot over South Korea’s Ayeon Yang (69) on the LET Access Series (LETAS).
The Englishwoman won her first professional title at Golf de Lavaux in Puidoux, Switzerland, despite trailing Yang by one shot walking up the 18th tee.
“It’s a dream come true,” Wardle said. “I sort of almost can’t believe it, but I also can believe it because I’ve definitely got the game and I can win. It’s obviously not easy to win in professional golf so yeah, it’s just a dream come true.”
Playing in the penultimate group, ahead of Yang in the final group, Wardle hit a stunning approach to within seven feet at the par-4 18th before sinking her birdie putt to draw level with Yang at 13-under.
With the pressure shifting onto Yang’s shoulders, the South Korean, who had been flawless off the tee all day, pulled her tee shot right and found the fringe with her approach.
Yang putted to within three feet but missed her par putt to hand the title to Wardle, who was watching on by the 18th green.
“I thought she would get up and down, to be honest,” Wardle said. “I was ready to do a play-off, and I was almost getting in that mindset really and just thinking, right, I’m going down 18 again and I’ve got to win it.
“It’s not very nice to see (Yang miss) because you’d rather hole the winning putt, not watch someone miss a putt. But I’m just so happy to have won.”
Wardle began the day at eight-under, two shots adrift of overnight leader Lucie Malchirand who slumped to a final round 74 to finish tied-10th.
She was among eight players within three strokes of Malchirand in a tightly packed leaderboard.
An early bogey on the par-4 3rd hole did not help her case, dropping her back to seven-under while Yang surged ahead with three birdies in her opening four holes to take the solo lead at 12-under.
But Wardle bounced back with birdies on the par-5 5th and par-3 7th to make the turn at nine-under, two shots behind Yang.
“I wasn’t sure what I needed because I wasn’t really looking at the leaderboard for the front nine. It was just a case of I knew I needed to shoot under-par at least going into the back nine and just try and make a few more birdies.
“But yeah, I was kind of just in my own zone and just trying to take it hole by hole. I was just like, don’t panic. There was still loads of opportunities out there, particularly on this course where scoring has been low all week. So I was like, right, you’ve got chances.”
With birdies on holes 10, 13 and 15 to add onto her clinching birdie on 18, Wardle delivered on her end and did what she needed to do.
“I chipped in twice for birdie,” she said. “That was really nice. It was the 7th and the 13th holes. On 18, I was definitely aware of what I needed to do. The approach shot in I sort of factored in some adrenaline because I could feel it pumping in me.
“I was like I just need to hit a big pitching wedge and get it there, make a birdie. It went straight to the pin and it worked out well.
“I was nervous (about the putt), but not like I was shaking, not with the adrenaline. It was almost like I had a bit of control, but yeah, I still had to make it. I was just like take it back, get it in the hole and it went in.”
Yang, whose round comprised six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey, was leading for the entire final round up till the last hole.
She was bidding to become the first South Korean to win on LETAS since Nayeon Eum at the 2021 Anna Nordqvist Vasteras Open.
It is her second runner-up finish of the 2026 season having lost in a sudden-death play-off to Ireland’s Beth Coulter at the Women’s Irish Challenge earlier in July.
Wardle credited her breakthrough win to her coach, Mark Pilling, adding: “We’ve done some really good work. In fact, we’ve probably been working together now for a year. I always knew I could win, but it was like, can I bring out the golf under tournament conditions, and do it?”
Three years ago, Wardle was dealing with a nerve injury which sidelined her for months.
“It knocked my confidence,” she said. “People always say, just be confident. I’m like well, you’ve got to build it back up. And I think for me it’s been one of those things when I’ve hit a bad shot, it’s kind of knowing what I’ve done wrong, so I don’t it again.
“But I didn’t know that a couple of years ago. But now it’s like, right, okay, I know I’ve done it and I can correct it. So, it’s not like this big thing. I’ve still got the confidence in my next shot.”
Just weeks ago, Wardle qualified for her first Major at the AIG Women’s Open. Although she missed the cut, the experience imbued her with the confidence to push on for her first LETAS win.
After the AIG Women’s Open, she recorded a T-14 finish in challenging conditions at the CSK Steel Women’s Open and a T-17 finish at last week’s Hauts de France Open.
“It was just an amazing week,” she said. “Particularly during the practice rounds and even my first round, it gave me a lot of confidence to go up against the best players in the world. I was playing nicely.
“It kind of just gave me this confidence, like, I know I can compete. I know that I can hit good shots, and I’ve just kind of taken that into my last few events.
“Last week in France, I was playing really nicely, but I just threw away a few shots and you’re just like, oh, come on. But it’s been there and this week it’s come out.”
About her plans to celebrate her victory, Wardle added: “I don’t even know yet. But I haven’t got anything planned for the next couple of days. I think I’ll just go home, see everyone from my family and my golf club, just celebrate with my coach as well. It’ll just be a lot of seeing people and maybe a couple of drinks.”
Further down the leaderboard, the trio of Iceland’s Andrea Bergsdottir (69), Sweden’s Elsa Svensson (70) and France’s Lauren Holmey (71) finished at 10-under overall in a tie for third place.
At nine-under come the quartet of South Africa’s Kaiyuree Moodley (68), Germany’s Theresa De Bochdanovits (68), Scotland’s Lorna Mcclymont (69) and France’s Gala Dumez (69).
Joining Malchirand in a share of 10th position are Czechia’s Anna Andrysova (68), Switzerland’s Tiffany Arafi (68), Spain’s Maria Villanueva (70), Austria’s Isabella Holpfer (70) and Australia’s Hannah Reeves (71).
English amateur Lily Hirst shot a final round 67 to finish on six-under in a tie for 18th to take home the best amateur award.
With her win, Wardle rises to fifth in the LETAS Order of Merit (OOM) standings while Holmey’s top five finish means she extends her lead at the top of Sweden’s Moa Svedenskiold.
The LETAS season resumes next month at the October 8-10 Terre Blanche Ladies Open in Tourrettes, France. There are only five events to go before the season-finale at the Islantilla Open where the top seven on the OOM will earn their LET cards for the 2027 season.
Keep up with all the action on the LETAS on our socials – @LETAccess on Instagram and X and LET Access Series on Facebook.
