Staff WriterIf you’re wondering what you were doing at 16, it probably wasn’t leading the La Sella Open by two shots against some of the best players in women’s golf. But that’s exactly where Canada’s Anna Huang finds herself after torching the course with an 8-under-par 64 that looked as effortless as it did clinical.
Homework, however, is still very much on her to-do list.
“I think I’m about two days behind so I’ve got to do some tonight,” Huang admitted, with the same casual shrug you’d expect from someone late on an essay deadline, not the leader of a €1,000,000 championship.
Rising Star With Firepower to Match
Turning professional in January, Huang has already played in two majors. At La Sella, she rattled off five birdies in her opening nine holes and never looked back, finishing bogey-free and just a whisker away from Anne-Charlotte Mora’s course record.
“My ball striking was good and I don’t think I missed any greens so that’s a plus,” Huang said. “My putting was good today, and almost anything under 30 feet on the front I was making, so it was a bit shocking!”
The 16-year-old sits 11th in the LET Rookie of the Year race, fresh off a top-10 finish at the Swiss Open. She credits a recent equipment tweak for the turnaround.
“I did struggle a little bit with my putting mid-season and missed a few putts, but I switched my putter out a couple of weeks ago before Houston, and I think that really helped.”
Chasing Pack Keeps It Close
Breathing down her neck are France’s Nastasia Nadaud and Germany’s Leonie Harm, tied at six under. Both found momentum in different ways—Nadaud firing eight birdies with the swagger of someone fresh off playing alongside Nelly Korda at Evian, and Harm simply surprised to be standing, let alone shooting lights out.
“I was feeling a bit sick the last couple days, so I didn’t even practice yesterday, really,” Harm revealed. “So I was going out here without any expectations, and then just being able to shoot this kind of round is a positive surprise.”
Nadaud, meanwhile, looked like she was born for the spotlight.
“I had a lot of confidence out there. Every area of my game is in a really good place right now, so in terms of the rest of the weekend; I’ll just keep doing what I was doing today and see what happens.”
She also couldn’t resist a nod to the setting:
“I always love being here. We have everything onsite, good restaurants, the pool and it’s just a really nice place to visit. So, I am always happy to be back here.”
Spaniards and Singaporeans in the Mix
Slovenia’s Pia Babnik sits at five under, while Spain’s own Luna Sobrón Galmes carries the home hopes at four under. The 31-year-old, a three-time LET Access winner, credited her practice sessions with her father for a sparkling long game.
“My long game was really good today. Yesterday and like two days before coming here, I was practising with my dad, working on the connection and my right side and today was good and felt perfect.”
Further down, Singapore’s Shannon Tan closed with a birdie at the last for a three-under 69—one shot better than Order of Merit rival Mimi Rhodes, who is making her debut at the La Sella Open.
More Than Just a Tournament
Now in only its third edition, La Sella is already punching above its weight. Voted Tournament of the Year in 2023 and recognised for Best Player Services in 2024, the La Sella Open has become the flagship of Spanish women’s golf, offering the biggest purse in the country and one of the largest in Europe.
It’s also free to attend, a rarity in modern sport. Spectators can register online and wander into one of the finest stages women’s golf has to offer, without a ticket stub in sight.
And if Huang has her way, they may be watching history in the making. After all, balancing schoolwork and silverware isn’t exactly in the job description—yet she’s making both look inevitable.
