Germany’s Celina Sattelkau overcame a late start due to fog in Wednesday’s opening round of the SuperSport Ladies Challenge presented by Sun International at Humewood Golf Club, and posted a three-under-par 69 to lead by one stroke in the first Sunshine Ladies Tour event of the year.
It was a tough opening round on the famous links course, with Sattelkau and her nearest challenger, Norwegian Tina Mazarino on two-under-par 70, the only two players who managed to shoot under par on day one.
For Sattelkau, it was a difficult start to the tournament.
“It was a pretty eventful day for everyone. I got up at 4:30am for the first tee time at 7am, but the fog and mist made things difficult as I had to warm up multiple times. Thankfully the fog lifted, but then it got really hot and windy. The course played really difficult today and you can see it looking at the scores,” she said.
The German was, however, satisfied with her own game in the difficult conditions.
“I did a good job finding the fairway and most of the good spots on the greens. I didn’t have too many misses with my approach shots, and where I did I was able to make up-and-downs. It was really difficult with the wind. You had to club up or down three to four clubs. I am however happy with the round, especially how I handled the situations mentally,” Sattelkau said.
With two more rounds to play, Sattelkau is enjoying her time in sunny South Africa.
“For the next two days I am just hoping to stay committed and confident, and we will see what happens. I try not to think too much about it and just try and enjoy it here. In Germany it’s very cold now, so it’s nice to have some sun and develop my game,” Sattelkau said.
The 2023 SuperSport Ladies Challenge champion, and last year’s runner up, Casandra Alexander, is among a group of seven players in joint third place after rounds of one-over-par 73.
LEADERBOARD – DAY 1
— Sunshine Ladies Tour (@SLadiesTour) February 4, 2026
How things stand after 18 holes played at the SuperSport Ladies Challenge presented by Sun International.
Celina Sattelkau at the top after a 69 in tough conditions 👏 @supersporttv @suninternationalza#SuperSportLadiesChallenge #WeGotGame pic.twitter.com/AhLOE0idaQ