When the ladies made their debut in the British Open at the Scottish course Muirfield, Anna Nordqvist was the defending champion. Her chance for another victory was crushed early because after two days of play she was eliminated.
Before the final round, South African Ashleigh Buhai unexpectedly had the lead by five strokes.
Buhai played her first major in 2006. In 48 previous attempts, the South African had only once finished in the top ten.
But Buhai made it difficult for himself in the strong wind at Muirfield.
After strong performances from three-time major winner Chun In-Gee, of South Korea, and nerves from Buhai, a special game was required to decide who would take home the prestigious title. Special play has not been needed since 1990 when Swedish Helen Alfredsson took home the British Open.
One hole special was not enough to produce a winner. Not two holes either. But after four holes Ashleigh Buhai finally prevailed.
The best Swede was Madelene Sagström, who finished in shared fourth place. Three strokes from victory. Last year, Sagström was tied for second, one stroke behind the winner Nordqvist.
“New Favorite Major”
— This is becoming a new favorite major, says Sagström, with a laugh, after the round and continues:
— Super fun, I knew it would be tough today, very pleased that I kept it together almost all the way.
She is also satisfied with the placement.
— Self-confidence always grows, above all knowing that you are up and fighting. I know my toolbox is getting a lot bigger, so I’m starting to be able to handle all types of golf games.
Stark plummeted in the results list
Maja Stark was also in the top ten after three days of play. However, the last round was the 22-year-old’s downfall.
Namely, she went around the course in eight strokes over par, which meant a race of a full 32 places in the results list and a shared 41st place.
Swedish Linn Grant had a fine final round and ended the day three shots under par. That gave her a joint 19th place in the competition, which means she climbed a whopping 27 places from the day before.