South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai plays her tee shot on the 13th hole Sunday during the final round of the Women’s British Open in Muirfield, Scotland. Buhai won in a playoff for her first LPGA Tour victory and first major title. Scott Heppell/Associated Press
MUIRFIELD, Scotland — After seeing a five-shot lead slip away in the final round, Ashleigh Buhai still managed to secure a first major title at the Women’s British Open.
Buhai kept her composure to beat In Gee Chun – and the setting sun – in a playoff at Muirfield on Sunday for her first career victory in an LPGA Tour event.
With the light fading, the South African golfer made a superb bunker shot on the fourth playoff hole to leave herself with a short par putt, while Chun made a bogey.
Buhai, 33, calmly rolled in her putt from less than 3 feet and then clutched her face in relief before being drenched in water and other beverages by her entourage.
“I was surprisingly calm,” Buhai said about the clutch bunker shot that secured the victory. “My caddie said to me on the last one, I don’t want to brag, but she said ‘Show them why you’re No. 1 in bunkers this year.’ So, you know, she gave me the confidence. Maybe it’s got something to do with Muirfield and South Africans and bunker shots.”
Ernie Els also won the men’s British Open in a playoff at Muirfield in 2002 after a memorable bunker shot during the final round. This was the first time the Women’s British Open was played at Muirfield, a club that didn’t even allow female members until 2019 following a vote two years earlier.
Buhai made things a lot more difficult than they had to be, though.
She entered the final round with a commanding five-shot lead and was still three strokes ahead before a triple bogey on the par-4 15th that put her level with Chun.
Both players missed long birdie putts on the 18th, and they went to a playoff after finishing at 10-under 274.
“I know there are a lot of people in South Africa with lots of gray hairs right now after that 15th hole,” Buhai said. “But I’m very proud of myself, the way I dug deep and kept myself in it to get into that playoff.”
Buhai shot a 4-over 75 in the final round, while Chun carded a 70.
Hinako Shibuno of Japan, the 2019 champion, finished one shot back after missing a chip from just off the green that would have made it a three-way playoff.
Chun was in trouble on the first two playoff holes, but her short game bailed her out both times.
On the first, Chun sent her second shot into a bunker while Buhai found the heart of the green. But the South Korean hit a near-perfect bunker shot to within a few feet of the hole to salvage the par.
On the second, she needed to make an 8-foot bogey putt to stay in it after sending her second shot wide and then barely making it onto the green with a chip from the tall grass.
Buhai nearly won it on the third playoff hole, but her long putt pulled up a few inches away from the hole.
For Buhai, the win more than made up for a near-miss at that 2019 Women’s British Open, when she led the event at the halfway stage at Woburn but finished fifth.
“Forgive me, there will be a few tears,” Buhai said during the trophy presentation. “Obviously there’s a lot of hard work and many years of dedication going into this.”
PGA: Joohyung “Tom” Kim announced his arrival on the PGA Tour when the 20-year-old South Korean closed with a 9-under 61 for a five-shot victory in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, making him the second-youngest winner on tour since World War II.
A marathon day because of storm delays turned into a sprint for Kim. He finished the third round in the morning and was two shots behind, and then shot 27 on the front nine to leave the rest of the field in his wake.
The victory gave Kim instant membership on the PGA Tour, making him eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs that start next week.
Sungjae Im, who finished seven holes Sunday morning to take the 54-hole lead, had a 68 and tied for second along with John Huh (67).
Kim is the first PGA Tour winner born after 2000. Despite opening the tournament with a quadruple bogey on Thursday, he finished the week at 20-under 260.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Jerry Kelly missed a chance to win in regulation, then made short work in the playoff with a 4-foot birdie putt to win the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta, for his third title of the season on the PGA Tour Champions.
Kelly closed with a 3-under 67 and won the playoff over John Huston, who shot 65 in one of his best chances to win in his 11 years on the 50-and-older circuit.
Kirk Triplett, who had the lead going into the final round, missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th that would have gotten him into the playoff.
U.S. Senior Open champion Padraig Harrington (66), Joe Durant (62), Dean Wilson (66) and Alex Cejka (66) also finished one shot back.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Callum Shinkwin claimed his second European tour title with a four-shot victory in the Cazoo Open in Newport, Wales.
The Englishman shot 1-under 70 in the final round and finished at 12-under 272 overall at Celtic Manor, where he has now finished first, fourth and eighth in his last three visits.
Scotland’s Connor Syme (68) secured second place with a late charge. Julien Guerrier (76), Andy Sullivan (67), David Dixon (67), Renato Paratore (66) and Lucas Bjerregaard (68) tied for third, another three strokes back.
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