Staff WriterIf the Ladies European Tour had a festival circuit, the La Sella Open would be Glastonbury with better bunkers and less mud. From September 18–21, the sun-baked fairways of Denia, Spain will host a field dripping with quality, headlined by England’s Mimi Rhodes, as the 2025 season barrels toward its finale at what players affectionately call “the players’ favourite.”
Joining Rhodes are Shannon Tan, Sara Kouskova, Cara Gainer, and Casandra Alexander, who’ll spearhead a 132-player cavalry charge in a 72-hole stroke play battle across one of the Mediterranean’s most admired layouts. Only the top 60 and ties will survive the cut after 36 holes, which means more than a few holiday brochures could be thumbed by Friday night.
Briem’s Benchmark
Rewind to last year: Germany’s Helen Briem didn’t so much win as she detonated the leaderboard, firing a bogey-free 66 in the final round to post 18-under-par and collect her maiden LET title. That sort of thing sticks in the collective memory, which explains why La Sella Open has become a stage every young contender wants to own.
The event’s growing reputation isn’t smoke and mirrors either. Crowned “Tournament of the Year” in 2023 and “Best Player Services” in 2024, La Sella is earning a reputation for raising the bar in women’s golf, not least with the largest purse in Spanish women’s golf history and one of the fattest in Europe.
Rhodes Rolls Into Town
Mimi Rhodes has already bagged three titles this year, and even managed a hole-in-one at the AIG Women’s British Open. Now she’s making her debut in Denia, riding form that could frighten small animals.
On the weight of expectation, she was refreshingly blunt: “It is a bit on my mind, but I’m not really stressed about it. I feel good, and my swing feels good. I saw my short game coach last week over in England and my short game’s feeling quite comfortable so looking forward to this week.”
Rhodes added that the setup feels familiar, if not entirely home cooking: “It’s a really nice tournament and the courses are quite similar to the courses down in in the south. It’s still a long way from home but nice to have my dad here, and we drove up from home (Sotogrande).”
Spain is more than a tour stop for the 24-year-old. Having grown up in Sotogrande, she was recently named the region’s official touring ambassador—a title that sounds suspiciously like she should be issuing passports and tapas.
Kouskova’s Spanish Groove
If Rhodes is new to La Sella, Sara Kouskova has practically set up camp in Spain. The Czech has two career wins in the country, including this year’s Tenerife Open where she pipped none other than Briem by a single shot.
She explained her Iberian affinity with typical ease: “I enjoy Spain in general; I like Spain as a country. I love the food, the easy vibes and good weather almost all of the time, and that just plays into me feeling happy on the course.
I just want to concentrate mentally on being in the right mindset that we’ve been working on during the weeks we’ve been doing well, just playing my golf and not getting distracted too much by result or the outcomes or positions.”
One to Watch: Carolina López-Chacarra
Spanish amateur Carolina López-Chacarra is set to make her LET debut, and she’s no stranger to the big stage. Earlier this year, the 22-year-old finished 36th at the US Women’s Open, one of only a handful of amateurs to make the cut and play all four rounds.
On playing her first LET event at home, she said: “It’s really nice as the course is wonderful and also having my family here is super nice.
There’s a bunch of friends that I have played with in previous years of college golf so it’s nice to see them again and play alongside them, and I’m just super excited.”
Golf clearly runs in the family. Her older brother Eugenio López-Chacarra has dabbled with LIV Golf and is now back on the DP World Tour, where he recently lifted his first trophy at the 2025 Hero Indian Open.
Carolina knows the José María Olazábal design won’t roll over easily: “It’s a pretty narrow course, so you definitely need to be hitting it off the tee.
The greens are small, so I think having good ball striking this week is going to be important, and if the putts fall, then this course is going to be really fun.”
A Tradition Takes Root
This year’s La Sella Open introduced a new ritual at Wednesday’s opening ceremony. Past champions Nuria Iturrioz (2023) and Briem (2024) joined head greenkeeper Jimena Blanco to plant seed-balls in a crystal box of soil.
After the tournament, these seeds will take root between the 10th and 11th tees, eventually growing into a grove where every champion will leave her arboreal calling card.
In other words, win here and you don’t just get your name on a trophy—you get your own tree. Augusta may have its pimento cheese sandwiches, but La Sella now has living monuments.
Free to the Fans
Spectators are invited to watch the action free of charge, a rarity in professional golf these days. Tickets can be reserved online, though the sunshine, seaside, and spectacle are guaranteed to cost you at least one sunburn.
The La Sella Open 2025 promises drama, history, and possibly a few more seeds of legacy. Whether it’s Rhodes, Kouskova, López-Chacarra, or another name entirely, someone will walk away with more than a paycheck—they’ll leave a piece of themselves growing in Spanish soil.
La Sella Open 2025 will be free to enter for spectators, who can sign up for tickets here.
For more information regarding the tournament, please click here.
