Ashleigh Buhai closes with 65 to claim ShopRite LPGA Classic

Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa with the trophy after winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Sunday in Galloway, New Jersey. (AP)
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Updated 12 June 2023
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Ashleigh Buhai closes with 65 to claim ShopRite LPGA Classic

  • It was the 4th win worldwide over the past 10 months for Buhai, who finished at 14-under 199 in the 54-hole event on the Bay Course at Seaview
  • At 34 years, 11 months, Buhai is the oldest winner this year on the LPGA Tour

GALLOWAY, New Jersey: As she entered her 30s, Ashleigh Buhai was frustrated with consistently contending but never winning on the LPGA Tour. There was nothing wrong with her swing, so she began working with a mental coach.

Now at the cusp of 35 on a tour dominated by players a decade or more younger, the South African is playing the best golf of her career.

Buhai seized the lead early with four birdies in her first five holes, got up and down for one last birdie for a 6-under 65 and held off Hyo Joo Kim for a one-shot victory in the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Sunday.

“I was touted to be — I had a really good amateur career and was going to be the next best thing out of South Africa, but that’s — golf is just not like that all the time,” Buhai said. “I kept plugging away. I have a good support system around me, which I think is the most important thing.”

It was the fourth win worldwide over the past 10 months for Buhai, who finished at 14-under 199 in the 54-hole event on the Bay Course at Seaview. Buhai won the Women’s British Open last August for her first major and first LPGA Tour win, and since has added titles in Australia and South Africa. She entered the week ranked 16th in the world.

At 34 years, 11 months, Buhai is the oldest winner this year on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s huge. My goal this year was to win in the US I hadn’t won here yet,” Buhai said. “I’m very proud of myself for ticking it off.”

Buhai recalled a visit from longtime swing coach Doug Wood in October 2021 as the start of her turnaround. Wood couldn’t find any issues with her mechanics and put her in touch with mental coach Duncan McCarthy.

“I think I’ve also got to a point where I’m older in my career. Felt I should have achieved more by then and the pressure I was putting on myself. Again, I’m 34, so wanting to have a family,” Buhai said. “These things sit in the back of our minds that nobody really knows about and you don’t realize what havoc it plays back there. COVID, not being able to go back to South Africa, see my friends and family was also really tough.

“So we kind of tapped into all that, really got Ashleigh, the person, feeling better again.”

Playing in the penultimate pairing, Buhai began the day three shots behind leader Dani Holmqvist. By the time she rolled in a long birdie from off the back of the green on the par-4 fifth hole, she led by one over Kim.

“Obviously I got off to such a good start, and the putt on 5 was a hallelujah,” Buhai said. “Those things need to happen for you to win, obviously.”

Kim, in the final pairing, birdied the par-3 17th to give herself a chance, but she needed to eagle the par-5 18th to match Buhai and could only manage birdie. She shot 68.

Rookie Yan Liu closed with a 67 and finished third, three shots back. Her previous best finish was a tie for 21st last week at the Mizuho Americas Open in Jersey City.

“Last week I talk with my family and my coach, and he just tell me, ‘You don’t need to watch cut line. You need to try to win,’” the 25-year-old from China said.

Holmqvist went bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey on Nos. 2-6, closed with a 1-over 72 and finished in a tie for fourth, four shots back. The 35-year-old Swede is winless on the LPGA Tour.

Nanna Koerstz Madsen (65) matched Holmqvist at 10 under.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been up there, so just really happy,” Koerstz Madsen said. “I just really wanted to finish well and not finish with something stupid, so was happy to close out with a birdie.”


Lee and Tavatanakit return to Riyadh with hopes of emulating past glories at Aramco Team Series

Thai golfer Patty Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh. (Supplied)
Updated 13 October 2024
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Lee and Tavatanakit return to Riyadh with hopes of emulating past glories at Aramco Team Series

  • “Winning in Riyadh last year was a career highlight for me. The energy and support was incredible, and I felt like everything came together perfectly on the course”: Lee

RIYADH: Alison Lee and Patty Tavatanakit are set to go head-to-head as this season’s Aramco Team Series, presented by the Public Investment Fund, draws to a close at the Riyadh Golf Club.

American Lee, who represented Team USA in the 2024 Solheim Cup, will return to the star-studded event from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 as the defending individual champion.

It follows her record-breaking triumph in 2023 in Riyadh, which was sealed when she carded a final-round 65 to finish 29-under-par, setting a new 54-hole scoring record on the Ladies European Tour.

“Winning in Riyadh last year was a career highlight for me. The energy and support was incredible, and I felt like everything came together perfectly on the course,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to bringing that same energy and focus to this year’s event as it’s always special to return to a place where you’ve had such a memorable win. I’m excited to see what this year has in store,” she added.

Thai golfer Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh, having won the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF on the same course earlier this year. The victory was her first since 2021, and she now returns with confidence, eager to replicate her success.

“Lifting that trophy earlier this year in Riyadh was a huge boost for me and a very emotional win,” said Tavatanakit. “It felt like a turning point in my career and gave me the confidence to win another title straight off the back of it.

“Coming back to the same course is something I’m really excited about and I’m ready for the challenge.”

Organized by Golf Saudi, the five events on the Aramco Team Series add an annual $5 million in prize money to the LET, taking its innovative team format to four continents across the year.

The series brings together teams of three professionals and one amateur.

Stops in Tampa, Seoul, London, and Shenzhen have crowned international winners including Ireland’s Leona Maguire, Korean Hyo-Joo Kim, and Alexandra Fosterling of Germany already this year, ahead of the tournament arriving back in the Saudi capital.


Strong field set for season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai

Updated 12 October 2024
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Strong field set for season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai

  • Major champions Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Adam Scott will tee off at at Jumeirah Golf Estates from Nov. 14-17

DUBAI: The 2024 Race to Dubai is set for a thrilling conclusion, with a host of global stars already confirmed for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates from Nov. 14-17.

Billy Horschel, who recently claimed his second BMW PGA Championship title, will tee off on the Earth Course alongside major champions Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and Adam Scott, and fellow Rolex Series winner Robert MacIntyre, who won the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

They join reigning Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy and his fellow Ryder Cup star and 2017 European No. 1 Tommy Fleetwood, with both already confirmed for the final Rolex Series event of the season.

Horschel’s victory at Wentworth saw him move up to third on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, and the American will be making his second appearance in the season-ending event.

The 37-year-old won the PGA Tour’s FedExCup in 2014 after claiming the BMW Championship and Tour Championship titles in back-to-back weeks, and the eight-time PGA Tour winner is excited by the opportunity to win the DP World Tour’s season-ending title.

“I’m excited to return to Dubai next month to finish my season,” said Horschel. “I really enjoyed my experience at Jumeirah Golf Estates three years ago and I’m looking forward to getting back to the UAE.

“It has been great playing in some of the DP World Tour’s most historic events in the latter part of the season and I hope to finish the year on a high note with another memorable experience in Dubai.

“I’m incredibly proud to have won the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, so to have a chance to add the DP World Tour Championship title to my trophy cabinet would certainly be very special.”

Horschel finished joint runner-up at the 152nd Open at Royal Troon alongside Justin Rose, who has also confirmed his return to the DP World Tour Championship. Joining them in the field is Australian Adam Scott, who won the Masters Tournament in 2013, the same year that Rose won the US Open at Merion.

Fellow major champion Lowry will be competing in back-to-back weeks in the UAE, after also confirming his appearance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The Irishman, who won the 148th Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, has recorded 13 top 20 worldwide finishes in 2024, including a victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour alongside McIlroy.

Scotsman MacIntyre is enjoying a career-best season a year on from making his Ryder Cup debut at Marco Simone, having won both the RBC Canadian Open and his home Genesis Scottish Open in 2024.

The 28-year-old is currently sixth on the Race to Dubai Rankings and is hoping to eclipse his previous highest finish of ninth on the season-long standings, which he achieved in 2019.


Europe skipper Donald in talks with Garcia over Ryder Cup return

Updated 09 October 2024
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Europe skipper Donald in talks with Garcia over Ryder Cup return

  • Garcia, the all-time leading Ryder Cup scorer with 28.5 points in 10 appearances, missed last year’s tournament in Rome after opting to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit
  • Donald said existing regulations meant other LIV players could also be available as captain’s picks
  • US officials have already given the green light for LIV players to play on the American team, as they did in 2023

NEW YORK: Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald revealed on Tuesday he has been in talks with LIV Golf player Sergio Garcia about making a possible return to the team for next year’s clash with the USA.

Speaking at an event in New York to mark the countdown to next year’s Europe-USA Ryder Cup showdown at Bethpage, Donald confirmed he had spoken to Garcia about his availability.

Garcia, the all-time leading Ryder Cup scorer with 28.5 points in 10 appearances, missed last year’s tournament in Rome after opting to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.

However, Donald said on Tuesday that Garcia was now considering applying to rejoin the DP World Tour in a push to be eligible for selection.

“Obviously he resigned his membership a couple years ago,” Donald said of Garcia.

“But we have had some chats. He’s considering rejoining. He’d have to follow all the rules and regulations like everyone else, and if he does that, again, he will be eligible to partake in the Ryder Cup.

“We chatted on phone a couple weeks ago. He’s certainly very interested in doing that. He understands everything that’s involved, and again, the decision has to go to him, whether he’s prepared to do all that.

“But certainly, we’ve had that discussion, yes.”

Donald said existing regulations meant other LIV players could also be available as captain’s picks.

“The DP World Tour’s policies have been very consistent. There’s been a lot of clarity around that,” Donald said.

“It’s really the same as it was in Rome. You have to be a Member of The European Tour and born in Europe. If you fulfill the regulations and the rules that the DP World Tour set, then you’re eligible. There’s a bunch of LIV guys that play on LIV that they are eligible now; so I can pick them at will.”

US officials have already given the green light for LIV players to play on the American team, as they did in 2023 when Brooks Koepka was given a captain’s pick to join the team.

US captain Keegan Bradley said Tuesday he planned to select “the 12 best players.”

“So if we feel like there’s a few guys there, one guy, two guys, whatever it is, then we’re going to do that,” Bradley said.

“But we’re too far out to figure out how this is all going to play out. But we’re definitely going to take the 12 best players however that shakes out.”

The 2025 Ryder Cup takes place at Bethpage Black in New York from Sept. 26-28. Defending champions Europe are chasing their first victory in the tournament on US soil since the famous “Miracle at Medinah” in 2012.


Shane Lowry looking forward to Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship return

Updated 08 October 2024
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Shane Lowry looking forward to Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship return

  • Former champion to take part in first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs from Nov. 7-10

ABU DHABI: Former champion Shane Lowry is excited to return to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs taking place from Nov. 7 to 10.

The Irishman claimed the famous Falcon Trophy in 2019 just six months before becoming a Major champion, winning the Claret Jug at The 148th Open.

Lowry will join fellow Major winners Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Adam Scott, as well as Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood, in the field for the fourth Rolex Series event of the season at Yas Links.

The 37-year-old has enjoyed an excellent 2024 campaign, recording 13 top-20 worldwide finishes, including sixth-placed results at both The 152nd Open and US PGA Championship.

In addition, he partnered McIlroy to victory at the PGA TOUR’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

“I’m excited to end my season in the UAE, starting with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links,” said Lowry. “It’s always nice to return to a part of the world where you have had success in the past, and I hope to end the year on a high.”

As part of the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs, the championship will have the top 70 available players from the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex at the conclusion of the “Back 9.”

The top 50 players at the end of the week will then advance to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Also confirmed for the championship are Genesis Scottish Open champion Robert MacIntyre, who also represented Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup, and Thriston Lawrence, currently ranked second on the Race to Dubai Rankings.


Kevin Yu birdies 18th twice and wins Sanderson Farms in playoff for first PGA Tour title

Updated 07 October 2024
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Kevin Yu birdies 18th twice and wins Sanderson Farms in playoff for first PGA Tour title

  • Kevin Yu: I’ve been dreaming this moment since I was 5
  • Yu hit his winning putt, a victory that sends him to the Masters and the PGA Championship for the first time

JACKSON, Mississippi: Kevin Yu made a 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole for a 5-under 67, and he birdied it again from 6 feet in a playoff to beat Beau Hossler and win the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.

Yu was nearly forgotten for most of a final round that appeared to be a duel between Hossler and Keith Mitchell until the 26-year-old from Taiwan made a birdie to tie them for the lead.

Hossler pulled his drive on the 18th in regulation behind a tree, had to pitch out and hit his third shot to 4 feet to save par. Mitchell had a 35-foot birdie putt to win it and it grazed the left edge of the cup. But he missed the 4-foot comebacker for par, shot 70 and missed the playoff.

Mitchell tied for third with former US Open champion Lucas Glover, who played the last six holes in 5-under par — including pitching in for eagle on the par-4 15th — for a 66.

Hossler again was left off the tee on the 18th in the playoff. Yu hit first and sent his approach to 6 feet right of the hole. Hossler had to punch below the trees, and it turned too much and went into a front bunker. He blasted out to 2 feet to secure par.

Yu hit his winning putt, a victory that sends him to the Masters and the PGA Championship for the first time. He also will start his season at Kapalua for The Sentry, a gathering of PGA Tour winners in 2024.

“I’ve been dreaming this moment since I was 5,” Yu said. “This is the dream for all golfers, to win on the PGA Tour. I did it today. I’m thankful for my parents. Without them, I couldn’t have done that.”

Yu and Hossler, who shot a 68, finished at 23-under 265.

This was Hossler’s 200th start on the PGA Tour without ever winning — four of them as an amateur — and it was as close as any. He fell back with a pair of bogeys early on the back nine as he tried to keep pace with Mitchell, and he pulled into a share of the lead with a 20-foot birdie on the 17th hole.

But he never gave himself a good look on the 18th or in the playoff.

“Even though I didn’t have my best stuff on the back nine I grinded really hard,” Hossler said “Hit some really quality shots under the gun, and that’s all you can do. Obviously, Kevin played a beautiful hole in the playoff.”

Mitchell might have the most regrets in search of his first win in five years. He was two shots ahead with five to play when he failed to birdie the par-5 14th or the reachable par-4 15th. He still had a putt to win, and that’s where it all went wrong with a three-putt bogey.

“The first putt actually looked good off the face. Right when it missed, I kind of turned my head and didn’t watch the read on the way by,” Mitchell said. “I assumed it was breaking — guess it broke left. It was going to break right back up the hill.”

He played the 4-foot par putt inside the left edge and it stayed out to the left.

“I hate that I finished with a three-putt,” Mitchell said. “Felt like I grinded all the way to the end and gave the first putt a really good chance.”