COVER FEATURE

Driven By

DESIRE

The Sunshine Ladies Tour Order of Merit winner has her sights sets on winning in Europe, and beyond

By GARY LEMKE

Casandra Hall was 11 when she mapped out what she would do with the first pay cheque she won as a professional golfer. Having only started playing the game at 10, she sure wasn't lacking in confidence. ‘I told my mom I would buy myself a Jeep Wrangler and save the rest!’

The years have ticked over, but the confidence remains and the now 25-year-old Casandra Alexander has been true to her word in every sense. She won the SA Women’s Stroke Play Amateur Championship at 18, turned pro shortly afterwards, got married in 2022 and bought that Jeep Wrangler in 2024.

That purchase came after she achieved her best result on the European Ladies Tour (LET), a tie-7th at the AIG Women’s British Open at the Old Course, St Andrews, sharing the locker room with the likes of Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and 2022 champion Ashleigh Buhai.

Alexander earned her biggest pay cheque for the career-high finish. ‘Yes! I went out and bought one. Little did I know how pricey they were.’

The week on the famous Scottish Links also cemented her belief that she belongs at the top table of the women’s professional game. She leapt from 209th in the world to 116th and that kick-started the next phase of her career.

‘My goal for 2024 was to halve my career ranking, and I did that, starting the year at 280th and finishing it at 143rd. For 2025, the goal was to break into the top 100.’

A stellar season in South Africa, where she finished in the top five at seven successive events, which saw her win the Sunshine Ladies Tour Order of Merit and rise to third on the Ladies European Tour list, lifted her to a career-high 87th in the world.

‘I played really well in South Africa and I definitely think my game is heading in the right direction’

‘I saw after my second at the Joburg Ladies Open that I was 107th and I thought, “That's pretty cool" and then after the SA Open I was 87th and I thought, “Let's just go with the flow!”’

So, a third of the way through 2025 and it’s mission accomplished. But, there has to be more. The 25-year-old is too good, too ambitious to rest on her laurels.

‘I had a good three-week break after the Investec SA Women’s Open. It set me up for the next steps which start in Korea. I have a lot of points to defend, so staying in the top 100 is going to be tough, but I’m really looking forward to it.

‘Obviously the goal is always to win, but it's not something I write down, and my next big achievement would be to win on the Ladies European Tour. But what I am happy about is my consistency.

‘I played really well in South Africa and I definitely think my game is heading in the right direction. It was also important that I performed at the two LET co-sanctioned events, not just the Sunshine Ladies Tour ones. That was a big one for me about how I translate that play from the Sunshine Ladies Tour to LET.’

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS

F1 or MotoGP?

F1, and Lando Norris all the way.

Cooking on the braai or stove?

Whenever I get home from travelling I love an open fire. My signature meal is steak – medium rare, of course.

Bungee jumping or white water rafting?

I’m scared of heights so it’s white water rafting. We actually did rafting, off-road driving and paint-balling for my bachelorette’s.

Coast or bush?

Coast. I love the ocean and we have a place to stay in Ballito.

Free ticket to watch any sports event?

The Masters. I actually don’t watch it on TV, I want to be there to attend.

Favourite golf course?

Augusta National, but I don’t know if I’d ever get to play it. I’d also love to play Leopard Creek.

Favourite city?

Malaga in Spain. That and Berlin. If I didn’t live in South Africa I’d probably move to Malaga.

Most used phone app?

Instagram.

Tattoos

I’ve got one on my left collarbone, it says “Family, where life starts and love never ends” and a mundella tattoo, just because when I was young and dumb I thought it would look cool! No more ink for me again.

WHAT’S IN THE BAG

Driver: Cobra DS Adapt

3w, 5w: Cobra DS Adapt

Wedges: 48°, 54°, 60°

Irons: Utility 4-iron, 5-iron to pw, King Tour Cobra

Putter: Odyssey Jailbird Mini

Ball: Titleist Pro V

‘Once I win on the LET, it will have a snowball effect... I know I belong with the best in the world’

Alexander admits that she has been working hard and that it’s paying dividends. ‘As a team we are doing everything in alignment, and each person’s role is dovetailing with the others’. I’m doing the right training in the gym to benefit the work we’re doing with my swing and my mental coach is also an integral part. Everything is coming together off the course and it’s showing on the course.’

While she has ticked off things on her ’to do’ list, which included breaking into the world’s top 100, winning the Sunshine Ladies Tour Order of Merit and finding consistency, the next items include that maiden win on the LET and a crack at the LPGA Tour.

‘That’s where the big points are, the fields carry a lot more weight than on the LET,’ she says. ‘I would love to get a card through the LET, or go to Q-School and get my LPGA card that way. It’s definitely the next frontier. The thing is, I know I am going to win on the European Tour. And once I win, it will have a snowball effect. One win will bring two and so on. I know I belong with the best in the world.’

And with the wins come not only the big points, but also the big money. As an 11-year-old she predicted she’d win a big pay day and buy a Jeep Wrangler. So, what does the 25-year-old adrenalin junkie have to say?

‘Oh, that’s easy, my next big pay cheque buys me a Lamborghini!’ A look at the price lists shows she can drive a middle-of-the-range model off the showroom floor for around R8-million and a top price of R12-million.

Few will bet against her living up to her word again. Strap on the seatbelts South Africa. We're about to go on a heck of a ride.