Australian women’s Open drought goes on as Minjee Lee charge falls short
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South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai withstood a final-round surge from Minjee Lee to win back-to-back Australian Open titles and extend the locals’ drought to a decade.
Buhai, who endured a nervy final hole after sending her approach into the water on the 17th hole, rolled in a three-footer for par on the last to beat Lee by a stroke.
On a day when she was expected to have a shootout with Korea’s former world No.1 Jiyai Shin (-4) for the Patricia Bridges Bowl, Buhai (-9) found another adversary in Lee, who started the day seven shots behind the 54-hole leader.
But Australia’s only three-time Greg Norman Medal winner raised hopes of a remarkable win when she closed to within one shot playing the down breeze par-five last.
But having left her drive in the left fairway bunker, Lee (-8) was forced to lay up and could only muster a par to finish with a final round three-under 69. Buhai’s three-over 75 on Sunday was still enough to clinch the win.
“To be honest, I wasn’t feeling the pressure,” Buhai said. “That shot on 17, it was just crazy how it got stuck up in the wind. I really couldn’t believe it.”
South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai celebrates her win.Credit: Getty
Despite Lee coming into the tournament as the best of the local hopes, which also included Hannah Green, Steph Kyriacou and Grace Kim, Australia’s long wait to win the national championship will be prolonged to 10 years after Buhai’s success.
Five-time champion Karrie Webb is the last Australian to win the women’s championship in 2014.
It has since been won by a New Zealander, a Japanese, three different Koreans and now a two-time winner from South Africa – but not an Australian. In fact, Webb is the only Australian to win the tournament since Jane Crafter in 1997.
Lee was supposed to change all that. After a self-confessed case of the yips with her putter earlier this year, her coach Ritchie Smith said he had never been prouder of the 27-year-old at the end a season, despite not adding to her two majors. For all her typical grace, it took a heap of grit in 2023.
Minjee Lee ultimately gave Buhai (left) too much of a head start.Credit: AP
The Australian Open was supposed to be the icing on the cake.
All golfers have bad rounds, some have bad weeks. Lee’s blip came on Friday when she struggled to a 75 playing at The Australian in the tricky afternoon conditions, while Buhai snuck around The Lakes in the placid morning conditions with 70. By the time Lee recovered on the weekend, the ground she had given up was just a little too much.
“I’m happy, but I’m a little unhappy at the same time,” Lee said. “I was seven shots behind starting the day, so I just tried to do the very best that I could and stay in the moment really, and try and focus on every single shot as it was thrown at me. I feel like I still had a solid tournament.
“There was absolutely no magic formula [to fixing up her putting problems]. It took a long time. To me it felt like it – and I think it did. There are times when you still go back to that kind of mindset. Golf is very mental.”
Jiyai Shin, who started the day three shots behind Buhai, quickly relinquished any challenge and posted a deflating five-over 77 to finish in a tie for third with compatriot Jenny Shin (72).
Green and Kyriacou were the best of the Australians after Lee, tied for fifth at three-under for the tournament.
Sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Rachel Lee, who shared the lead after the first round, endured a tough finish to the tournament with rounds of 79-77-78 to finish at 12-over and in a tie for 35th.
They must all be wondering what it takes for an Australian to win the event that means so much to them.
It might have to be one without Buhai.
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