South African Ashleigh Buhai successfully defended her Australian Open title on Sunday, overcoming late nerves to carry off charging fellow main winner Minjee Lee for a one-shot win.
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In doing so, the 2022 British Open champion grew to become the first back-to-back winner since Taiwan’s Tseng Ya-ni in 2010-11.
The 35-year-old carded a three-over-par 75 to finish at nine-under for the event, a stroke forward of Lee whose 69 ensured a tense finale.
Buhai started a blustery day on the Australian Golf Club in Sydney with a three-stroke cushion over South Korean veteran Shin Ji-yai and 7 away from world quantity 5 Lee.
“To be honest, I wasn’t feeling the pressure, I knew Minjee and Ji-yai would come at me today,” she mentioned.
“But the conditions were so tough, I just said hit it into your spaces, play par golf and make them catch you.”
Shin birdied the primary and the third to maneuver inside a shot of Buhai, earlier than a bogey on the sixth once more left her two adrift.
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Two extra dropped photographs from Shin, coupled with the South African parring each gap on the entrance 9, despatched Buhai to the flip with a four-stroke lead.
But two-time main winner and taking part in accomplice Lee was in superb contact and diminished the deficit to 3 photographs with six holes left.
A disastrous double bogey on the thirteenth appeared to finish Lee’s cost, however the strain received to Buhai who bogeyed the thirteenth, 14th and seventeenth to arrange a nervous last gap along with her lead down to at least one stroke.
Lee got here up brief with an extended birdie putt that might have pressured a playoff as Buhai sunk a three-footer for par and back-to-back Australian Open wins.
Shin collapsed to a 77, ending tied for third with fellow South Korean Jenny Shin, 5 behind Buhai.
The combined Australian Open concerned women and men teeing off in alternating teams on the identical programs.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Australian Golf Club was the principle venue throughout all 4 days, whereas the close by Lakes Golf Club co-hosted play through the first two rounds.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
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