Ashley Buhai scored a surprise win at Women’s British Open
33 year old South African, Ashleigh Buhai, ranked 84 th in the world, outlasted three-time major champion In Gee Chun of South Korea in a sudden death playoff which lasted four holes, to claim the US$7.3 million 2022 AIG Women’s Open being played at historic Muirfield in Scotland.
Buhai started the day with a five-shot lead after shooting a tournament-low 3rd round 64 on a blustery Saturday but shot 75 on Sunday largely thanks to a triple bogey on the 16th hole in the final round. With the two players playing the 18th for the 4th time in the playoff, and darkness descending at 9.15 pm local time, Buhai hit a sensational greenside bunker shot from 30 yards to a foot of the hole to win the title and the life altering US$1 million first prize !
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Here are our four top takeaways from the Women’s Open:
Chaos on the back nine on Sunday
Technically someone was always going to win the AIG Women’s Open but on the back nine on Sunday it looked like no one wanted to.
In Gee Chun won the Women’s PGA Championship title in June
In Gee Chun, who had a few weeks earlier won her 3rd career major at the KPMG LPGA Championship birdied three of her first six holes to trim a five-shot deficit to two. But she missed a short birdie putt on the par-5 ninth and proceeded to play the back nine in two-over. Somehow that was good enough to get into a playoff because the rest of the field decided to play hot potato with the trophy.
Hinako Shibuno missed out joining a playoff by a stroke at the major2019 British Open champion 23 year old Hinako Shibuno of Japan was three shots behind tournament-leader Buhai but three putted for a clumsy double-bogey on the 13th which put her five shots behind, ultimately finishing only one shot out of the playoff. Remarkably she was still able to smile about it after the round.
World No 2 Minjee Lee of Australia, needed a birdie on the final round to get within a shot of the lead and put some pressure on the final pair but dumped her second shot in the bunker and couldn’t get up and down. She left the green shaking her head. In the group behind her, Swedish World no 28 Madelene Sagström was in the same position but her drive ended in a fairway bunker and she finally tied Minjee Lee.
All of this should have made it relatively easy for Buhai, who started the day five ahead and was still 3 ahead with four holes to go. She drove it in a fairway bunker on 15 th , knocked it in the rough and stayed there. It all added up to triple-bogey. Now she was tied with Chun, who was playing in the group ahead.
Both players had short birdie putts to go ahead on the reachable par-5, 17th but both missed.
Matching pars on the last meant a sudden death playoff which had them playing the tough par four 18th four times, out of which Chun hit the green in regulation only once and Buhai twice. The difference in the end was Buhai’s super par save from the bunker.
Buhai won, but like at many major championships, really she was just the last one left standing.
Another unexpected major winner
Before the 2022 AIG Women’s Open, Ashleigh Buhai had made 220 starts on the LPGA Tour and won none of them (she does have three wins on the LET). She had played in 42 majors with only one top-10 finish, a tie for 5 th at the 2017 British Open.
In 2022, she had two top-10s in 15 events but had missed the cut seven times. Ranked 84 th in the world, it’s safe to say nobody had her on their radar. Now she’s a major champion.
Until her disastrous triple bogey, it looked like Buhai would win with some room to spare. Then it looked like she might become a tragic tale like Frenchman Jean van de Velde who quadrupled the 72nd hole at The Open. Remarkably for someone who has never been in this position, she regained her composure and outlasted a major champion in Chun.
Her improbable win continues a trend – in 2019, Shibuno won the British Open in what was not only her LPGA debut, but her first ever event outside Japan. At the 2020 British Open Sophia Popov, ranked 302nd in the world, unexpectedly cruised to victory. Patty Tavatanakit, a rookie from Thailand ranked outside the top 100 won the ANA Inspiration in California in 2021. Now there’s Buhai.
Their victories also highlight the depth and drama in the women’s game, which doesn’t get talked about enough.
Minjee Lee challenges Jin Young Ko for World No. 1
Minjee Lee finished T-4th at 7-under par
Lee has been quietly climbing the world rankings over the last 14 months and would have overtaken Jin Young Ko as the best player in the world had she won or finished second at Muirfield. She didn’t quite pull it off, finishing in a tie for fourth, but she did earn the Rolex Annika Major Award as the season’s best-performing player in the five major championships. Lee posted a cumulative score of -34, eight shots better than Chun in second place.
In her last seven majors, Lee has finished 1st, 5th, 12th, 1st, 2nd, 43rd, and now 4th. For those counting at home, that’s two wins, a second, and two other top five finishes.
This season Lee leads the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year standings, the Race to the CME Globe points list, and is first in scoring average at 69.17.
Lee may not be ranked No. 1 in the world but she is certainly playing like it.
Aditi, Diksha qualify but then miss cut
Aditi Ashok during the opening round of the AIG Women’s Open
The Indian duo of Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar missed the cut at the US$ 7.3mn Women’s AIG Women’s Open, the final major on the women’s schedule.
Aditi shot 73-74 (5-over 147) and Diksha 77-70 (5-over 147) at Muirfield in Scotland, which was two shots worse than the cut line at 3-over 145. The pair had qualified for the Open through the qualifier held on Aug. 1st at North Berwick. Diksha shot an impressive 4-under 68 to finish tied for fourth while Aditi came through a six-person playoff for three spots after shooting a 2-under 70.
The event marked the very first time a women’s major was played at Muirfield, which has hosted 16 Open Championships for the men, and is associated with legends such as Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Harry Vardon.
The tournament was won by 33-year-old Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa in a four-hole playoff with In-gee Chun of South Korea.
Credits:-
Photo – LET Flickr