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AIG Women’s Open: South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai survives a final day ordeal at Muirfield to claim the title

Ashleigh Buhai finally clinched the AIG Women's Open title after a fractious day at Muirfield.
Ashleigh Buhai finally clinched the AIG Women's Open title after a fractious day at Muirfield.

Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa used up a five-shot lead and four holes of a play-off, but finally emerged as the AIG Women’s Open champion as dark closed in at Muirfield.

Apparently coasting – well, grinding – to victory in regulation, a triple bogey seven with three holes to play meant Buhai was hanging on for extra-time with Korea’s In Gee Chun, the PGA Women’s champion.

Four play-off holes before Buhai prevails

The 33-year-old from Johannesburg seemed to have the edge throughout the play-off. But it took four more attempts at Muirfield’s 18th – and one more bunker shot – for her to finally prevail.

Buhai’s final recovery from the ‘doughnut’ bunker to a foot will join her childhood hero Ernie Els’ escape from Muirfield’s 13th bunker in 2002 in South African golf folklore. Els surrendered a three-shot lead and needed five holes of extra time to win that time.

A fifth play-off hole was maybe as much as the light would have permitted. But Buhai finally putted out at 9.10 pm to be the first South African woman to win a major since Sally Little won the Du Maurier Classic – since discontinued – in 1988.

Buhai finished with a final round 75 for a ten-under total of 274, while Chun shot 70 in the final round. Hinako Shibuno of Japan, with a par round of 71, finished a shot out of the play-off.

“Overwhelmed,” she said of her feeling. “It’s a dream come true for me.

“I’m immensely proud have done this where Gary Player and Ernie Els won, two of my great idols.

“Also for this to be the first time we have played a major here. I’m just very proud to be a South African at this moment.”

Not exactly cruising, but comfortable

Buhai hadn’t exactly cruised for 15 holes, but apart from a brief moment at the turn, she had plenty of space for comfort.

Chun made a concerted attempt to narrow the gap on the front nine, three birdies – the highlight a 30 foot putt at the fourth – narrowing the gap to two. Shibuno too had threatened, but three three-putts wiped out her eagle at the 6th and birdie four at the 9th.

When Buhai played the ninth in questionable fashion after bunkering her tee shot and took six, her five-shot lead had dwindled to one. But Chun drove into a fairway bunker on 10 and then bogeyed 12. The Korean also saw birdie putts lip out at 14 and 16.

Shibuno doubled 14 to effectively drop out of contention, and that appeared to be it. Only, desperately quickly for the South African, it wasn’t.

Buhai hadn’t played with nearly the confidence she’d shown in the rounds of 65 and 64 to build her advantage, but the blow-up was still a shock.

She drove into the face of a bunker at 15, hacked out sideways into rough, hacked it forward 15 yards and then hit a hybrid short of the green. From there her pitch was clumsy, and she missed the 18-foot return putt. All good for a seven, and she was tied with Chun at -10.

Both remaining contenders missed makeable birdie putts at 17, and while Shibuno birdied there, the 2019 champion couldn’t get another at 18. Chun was short with a mid-range birdie chance and Buhai had to hole a nervy four-footer for her closing 75 to force extra holes.

‘I stayed calm’

“I wasn’t thinking anything much heading to the 16th,” said Buhai. “What happened was what it was. A slightly better lie in the bunker and I would have been okay.

“I stayed calm throughout it all and had parred my way in from there. I had a few chances and although I had a tricky putt on 18 in regulation, I was fairly confident all the way through the play-0ff.”

The Korean’s masterful up and down from the ‘doughnut’ bunker on the first extra hole kept her alive. Then she needed a testing six footer for bogey to stay alive after some tired play from both on the second hole.

Buhai had another chance at the 3rd extra hole, only for her 20-foot putt turned away left at the last moment. Chun however was looking increasingly tired and her drive on the 4th play-off hole went into the bunker, from where she could only splash out.

Buhai then leaked her into the right hand bunker, but came out to a couple of feet. Chun couldn’t make par from the back of the green and the win was the South African’s.

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