“In Gee is a great champion and I knew I had to go out and win it. I mean, the 18 played so hard all week so it would have been a trophy and then it started getting cold and windy,” said Buhai, a 33-year-old from Johannesburg. “I was very proud of how I was able to stay focused on myself and try to do what I needed to do.” With the win, Bouhai became the second major South African women’s winner, joining Sally Little (1980 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, 1988 du Maurier Classic). He also joined seven men who have won major titles, including Gary Player and Ernie Els, who won at Muirfield in 1959 and 2002, respectively. Buhai became the 44th player to win a major league Rolex for the first time. Bouhai, who started the day with a five-under lead at -14, never looked as comfortable on the Muirfield links on Sunday as she had in the previous three rounds. She carded a birdie and two bogeys on the front nine, but still held a three-shot lead at -13 at the turn as the field around her failed to capitalize. Chun had pulled within a stroke of Buhai but fell three strokes behind with bogeys at 10 and 12. But all was lost on No. 15 for Bouhai, who found a shelter off the tee and hit the par, needing two shots to escape the deep rough. After sending the ball off the back of the green on her fifth shot, she needed two shots to find the hole with a triple-bogey 7, falling into a tie with Chun at -10. “It’s probably the worst swing I’ve had all week. He was a bit quick at the top. But if I had half a lie in this shelter, a plug from the unit, I could have taken it from the other side on the street. It obviously compounded the mistake,” Bouhai said. “I didn’t panic, which I thought was huge, and I just tried to get a good swing on the next one and just tried to make good swings coming in to give myself a chance.” Bouhai had a great opportunity on No. 17 to regain the lead. After blasting from a greenside bunker, her birdie putt on No. 17 hit the right edge of the cup and went out, leaving a stunned Buhai to tap for par. On the first playoff hole, Chun executed a masterful up-and-down putt from the right greenside bunker to save par, while Buhai two-putted from the front of the green. At the second, Chun chipped in from the left rough, then blew her par 5 feet from the hole. Buhai’s 6-under for par came up just short, leaving her with a tap-in for bogey, and Chun nailed the returner to make another hole. On the third trip back to No. 18, Buhai’s birdie attempt was right on the fairway but died heartbreakingly left. On her fourth tee shot of the playoff, Chun made her first major mistake of the day, putting her tee near the front of a zipper bunker. With Chun sitting three from the back end of the green, Buhai’s second ended up in the greenside bunker and it seems the nerves of the moment got to her. But he hit a perfect shot and put the ball to 3 feet. Buhai then hit the regular coat and immediately burst into tears, wrapped in a bear hug by her husband, David Buhai, who plays for Jeongeun Lee6 and who was surrounded by teammates and players during the playoffs. . “I think I did my best,” Chun said. “Ashleigh had a great up-and-down on 18. Almost close, but still, I don’t want to give up and I just want to look for another tournament, another day.” Buhai joined the LPGA Tour as a rookie in 2008 and spent the next six years bouncing between the LPGA Tour and the LET. She returned to the LPGA Tour full-time in 2014 and played a classic journeyman career, consistently winning enough to maintain her status but never claiming a major victory. With an exciting four days at Muirfield, Buhai finally added her name to the LPGA Tour record books. “I turned pro when I was 18. I was kind of expected, a lot of things were expected of me. I won straight off the bat on the Ladies European Tour. But this game has a way of making it difficult for you,” Buhai said. “I’m so proud of how I singled it out. I’ve said the last four or five years, I finally started to find my feet on the LPGA and felt like I could compete, and even though I’m 33 now, I feel like I’m playing the best golf of my career. It’s been a long journey, but man, it’s worth it right now.”
