ST ANDREWS, Scotland — You’ll be pleased to know that there are no holes in Ashleigh Buhai’s golf shoes this week at St Andrews.
A few weeks ago, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the two-time LPGA Tour winner had her physio cut a hole in her brand-new Team South Africa kicks so the toe she broke at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after falling over a bedframe in her Airbnb could have a little more range of motion as it continued to heal.
Fortunately, Buhai didn’t have to make that modification to her spikes ahead of the AIG Women’s Open and seems to be faring well as she continues to deal with some tenderness and aggravation that has lingered since she sustained the injury.
Through two rounds at the Old Course, Buhai is currently sitting in a tie for fifth at 3-under overall, carding an even-par 72 in round one and then following that up with a second-round 69 in Scotland.
Thursday saw Buhai battle through the difficult conditions that wreaked havoc on the 144-player field at the Old Course, making four bogeys and four birdies en route to a level-par opening round.
Day two in St Andrews was much more exciting for the 35-year-old, who recorded four bogeys, three birdies and two eagles in her second round to post at 3-under total. The eagles came after Buhai dunked shots on both the 14th and 16th holes, a welcome pair of hole-outs that sustained the major champion when things got difficult on her closing nine.
“On 14, I hit a good drive, hit 3-wood through the green, which is where you wanted to be with that pin today,” explained Buhai. “It was easier to chip back. Kind of between the two shots, I was going to either 3-wood it or chip it and fly the slope, and I went with my gut, chipped it up, and holed out nicely.
“Then, 16 was a bonus. Hit a great drive down there. It's a demanding tee shot. I played it at like a 77-meter shot, which is about four short, a little check on it, and spun in the hole.”
Buhai finished her opening nine with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole to move to 5-under for the tournament and turn in 31. Her second nine then got rocky as she bogeyed the second hole and made back-to-back bogeys on holes four and five. A recovery birdie on the par-4 6th hole was erased by another bogey on seven, but the LPGA Tour veteran rallied again with a birdie on the par-3 8th hole to close out her 3-under effort.
“It was tough. That wind picked up for us playing the front, which was our back,” said Buhai. “It was a little tougher today, I thought, because yesterday we had that nine, and it was kind of cornering helping, and today it was cornering and hurting, and it played significantly longer. I hit 5-wood into 2, hybrid into 4. We were hitting 6-irons and 7-irons. On 7 yesterday, I hit sand wedge, and I hit 8-iron today. The cornering of the wind definitely made a big difference on that front nine.”
Buhai is a past AIG Women’s Open champion, becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner in 2022 at Muirfield after outlasting In Gee Chun in a four-hole playoff also in Scotland. It was the first time that women had played in a professional event at the historic venue, and Buhai had the honor of joining Ernie Els and Gary Player as just the third South African golfer to win a major championship at Muirfield.
She is now contending again at the AIG Women’s Open, and when asked if she felt like this is the major championship that she consistently has the best chance to win, Buhai heartily agreed with the sentiment.
“(The AIG Women’s Open has) always suited my game because I'm able to flight the ball and be creative, and that's what you have to do, and I'm a pretty adaptable player,” Buhai said. “Especially today on that back nine, you had to adapt. The wind picked up. There were putts that would have been normally inside the hole, you were hitting a cup outside the hole, and you have to trust it, especially when it's difficult putting downwind at the moment. But I think that's why I love this championship so much.”
This is Buhai’s 17th start in the AIG Women’s Open, and in addition to her win, she has earned two other top-15 results in her 16 previous appearances, a solo fifth in 2019 at Woburn Golf and Country Club and a tie for 11th that came in 2020 at Royal Troon Golf Club.
She is one of few in this year’s field who played in the major championship both times it was previously held at the Old Course, and as a self-proclaimed “golf nerd," she is definitely enjoying her walk around St Andrews this week, even in the wind and the cold.
But what’s making this third experience even more enjoyable for the South African is that her parents are here to watch her contend for her third LPGA Tour title at the Home of Golf, a victory that Buhai would love to capture in front of those who love her most.
“They don't often get to come out. This was the one that I do try to get them out to,” Buhai said. “It's an easier commute from South Africa than to the U.S. They weren't there the year I won. They were there the week before. But this being St Andrews, it’s extra special, and nice to be able to know I'll be playing this tournament for a long time so I can plan and book stuff in advance.
“They've been here with me previously, luckily. The first time I played here was 2007, and they were here then. But it's special to have them here, and I've also got my aunt and uncle here, and a host family that I used to stay with in the U.S. before Dave and I found a place to live, so I call them my American family. I've got some nice support.”
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