Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Ashleigh powers her way to long-overdue Open win
Buhai confident of more success in the States after overcoming years of injury
ASHLEIGH BUHAI ended a seven-year wait to bag a third Ladies European Tour (LET) title when South Africa’s leading international golfer won the Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club earlier this month.
The world No97 and ninetime Sunshine Tour champion was the third player after Mandy Adamson and Lee-Anne Pace to achieve a hat-trick of triumphs.
It was her first success on the LET since the 2011 Portugal Ladies Open.
Buhai started playing golf aged six and in the following years created history by becoming the youngest player to achieve the South African Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play double.
She also won four pro events as an amateur, including two national opens and the 28-yearold Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club member is still the youngest SA Women’s Open champion. She won her first title in 2004 at her home course and her second in 2007. She is also the youngest SA Women’s Masters winner, which she won at the age of 16, and the only amateur to achieve this feat in both premier events.
Buhai joined the pro ranks in 2007 and announced herself as a potential star of the future by winning the Catalonia Ladies Masters in just her third event on the LET.
Trying times along the way due to nagging injuries, including hip surgery in 2013, hampered her progress. One was left wondering if the gifted golfer would again feature as a contender rather than a pretender on the international stage.
“When you have set-backs, you have to keep grinding,” said Buhai, who is currently in the United States competing on the Ladies Professional Golf Tour (LPGA) – missed the cut in the Founders Cup in Florida.
“Things didn’t pan out the way I thought they would and I had a fair share of disappointments, but I never doubted for a minute that I could succeed. And thanks to amazing support, I kept pushing.”
Fast-forward to the start of 2017 and a change in fortunes for the Edenvale resident.
With Nike pulling their equipment out of the golfing market, Buhai switched to Ping woods, Srixon irons, Cleveland wedges and a Srixon ball. She married long- time caddie David Buhai, but the newlyweds split up on the fairways by mutual agreement.
Buhai won the season-long Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies after racking in three Sunshine Ladies Tour titles and, armed with confidence and new bag-man Tim Bean, and with renowned coach Doug Wood guiding her fortunes, a new-look Buhai started to shape in a big way.
Buhai has yet to win on the LPGA, although she has topped the leaderboard on a few occasions in 2017 and had two topfive finishes on the US-based tour last year. She came fifth in the Indy Women in Tech Championship and was the runner-up in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic after holding the 36-hole halfway lead.
In just over a year, Buhai moved from 235th on the Women’s Rolex Rankings to inside the top 100 and she has set herself some serious goals this year.
She hits it a lot further, with a lot more confidence and backs it up with a sound short game, as she showed in her latest win in the Mother City.
“I’ve gained 50 metres off the tee and 30 metres with my irons. That’s made a huge difference to my strategy and course management. To reach par fives in two gives me a chance to compete. On most courses, it’s a difference of four shots. I’m extremely excited to go back to the US after this win. It feels like I’ve cleared another huge hurdle,” said Buhai.
“My goals last year was a top 80 finish on the LPGA Tour and top 100 in the world rankings. I finished 53rd on the LPGA Tour and 10 spots outside the top 100. But now I’ve ticked that box, too. Now I want to win on the LPGA. It feels within my reach and I’m going to get it done.”
An LPGA triumph would match the feat achieved by Pace, who in 2014 won the Blue Bay LPGA to become the first South African winner in 26 years since the legendary Sally Little won 15 titles between 1976 and 1988.
And the mature, well-constructed performance at Westlake left one feeling that the elusive LPGA Tour breakthrough is not a dream anymore.