Nastasia Nadaud played her first Ladies European Tour tournament in May 2022. She was still an amateur. She was 17 years old. She had received an invitation and needed a caddie. By those twists of fate, the job offer landed on the desk of Íñigo Urquizu. Quite something. A Spaniard. A guarantee. A winner on the DP World Tour. If at 17, still an amateur, you are invited to a tournament of the calibre of the Jabra, and you get a caddie of Urquizu’s level, it means there’s real potential there. Potential for a great star.
Nadaud, having just turned 21 last week, won the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España this Sunday, the grand finale of the Ladies European Tour. She did it with a display on Sunday, a round of 66 strokes that left the rest of the contenders out of the tournament. And playing in the star group, with all the pressure in the world. Today at the Real Guadalhorce Golf Club it was confirmed that what she hinted at in 2021 is a reality. She has the makings of a great star. She hits long, has a model swing, fights, and exudes grit. She lacks nothing. It’s her second win of the year on the LET after the Hulencurt Open in Belgium and she finished third in the overall ranking. Next week she plays the final of the LPGA Tour qualifying school. Remember her name. She should follow in the footsteps of Celine Boutier.
Nadaud has always been on the radar of the French Golf Federation stars. That’s why she was invited to the Jabra and why this summer her phone rang mid-transatlantic flight. On the other end was Franck Riboud. Surely, to you, as to the writer, that name means absolutely nothing at first glance, but Nastasia knew to pick up. Riboud is the president of the Evian Championship and the call was to invite her to his tournament, one of the five Majors of the year. Nadaud felt like shouting, but considered the environment not the most appropriate for it. She ended up in 21st place, which is not bad at all for her debut in a Major, but the most important thing is that on Saturday she played with Nelly Korda and Minjee Lee and signed 67 strokes. Star potential.
The connection between Nadaud and Evian goes way back. Besides being a super promise, it turns out she was born in Aix Les Bains, in the Savoie region, northeast of France, where the Evian is held. In fact, she is a lifetime member of the Evian Resort, the course where the tournament is played. For this reason, besides her credentials, she was also invited to the Jabra, a tournament also played on the Evian course and which, in fact, has served for many years as a qualifier for the Major. Anyone would say it’s a kind of predestination.
Nastasia has always been closely watched by her father. He has instilled in her values and a level of demand that, at times, from the outside, even drew attention for being extreme. She decided to turn professional at 18, without going through university. In 2023 she played the LET School and got her card. She maintained her rights without any problem last year, finishing in the top 25 of the order of merit, and in 2025 she has emerged with two victories and that third final position. Her progression is meteoric. In Guadalhorce, the confirmation has come.
Nadaud claimed victory on a final day that was anything but easy. She started four strokes behind the leader, Trichat Cheenglab, and three behind the second place held by a good friend of hers, the veteran Perrine Delacour. As if that wasn’t enough, a poor start by the Thai opened the doors wide to a good handful of players, to the point that Andrea Revuelta, for example, had a two-metre putt on the 8th hole to get within one stroke of the lead. Suddenly, a tournament that seemed decided since Friday had turned into madness. Golf.
All that glitters is not gold. The excitement lasted very little. It was more of a dream. Simply, Nastasia had stolen the keys from Cheenglab, entered the winner’s room, and locked the door. She did it with a sublime five-under-par in five holes, with three birdies and a stellar eagle on the 4th. In less than an hour, she had gone from being four strokes behind the lead to leading by three.
From there, her control of the situation was absolute. She finished the job with three more birdies on holes 10, 11, and 12. At that moment, she was eight under par for the day, and the tournament was in her pocket. Incredible. Not even the two late bogeys on 13 and 16 caused any damage. The victory was hers. She won by four strokes over Australian Kirsten Rudgeley and five over Trichat Cheenglab, Olivia Cowan, Perrine Delacour, and Dorthea Forbrigd.
Guadalhorce confirms the birth of a star: Nastasia Nadaud.
