At the iconic Royal Lytham & St. Annes links in Lytham St. Annes, England, Japanese golfer Shiho Kuwaki secured the biggest win of her professional career on Sunday, outlasting Germany’s Esther Henseleit in a dramatic sudden-death playoff to claim her first major championship at the Women’s British Open.
Kuwaki entered the final round positioned to contend for the title, and she delivered a steady final round carding a 1-under-par 70. For much of the final 18 holes of regulation play, it appeared her consistent performance would be enough to seal an outright victory. However, Henseleit produced a moment of incredible clutch putting on the 18th green: sinking a 40-foot birdie putt to also finish with a round of 70, which forced the playoff after both players ended regulation tied at 5-under-par 279 overall.
The first extra hole brought a stroke of good fortune for Henseleit, as Kuwaki found herself in thick deep rough just short of a greenside bunker. Left with no clear path to the putting surface, Kuwaki was forced to lay up well short of the green, setting up what looked to be an easy opportunity for Henseleit to claim the title. But Kuwaki responded under pressure, hitting a crisp wedge shot that left her ball within 3 feet of the hole, allowing her to save par and extend the playoff. When Henseleit narrowly missed a 15-foot birdie putt that would have given her the win, the two competitors moved on to the second extra hole.
There, Kuwaki once again held her nerve and carded a par to secure the major crown, capping off a memorable week of golf at one of the sport’s most prestigious venues.