Round 3 - Ashleigh Buhai wins third SA Open

March 10, 2018

Ashleigh Buhai wrote her name in the record books of the Investec South African Women’s Open once again, thanks to a two-stroke victory at Westlake Golf Club in Cape Town.

The only amateur to win the national championship, twice – and the youngest to boot – fired a flawless final round 67 to realise a dream she’s had since she joined the pro ranks in 2007.

“No matter what country you’re from, you want to lift your national title. Having won it twice as an amateur was a bit crazy, because the first time I won it I was 14. The older you get, the more you realise what it means to you and to finally win it as a professional, I’m very chuffed.”

Stacy Bregman also had reason to celebrate, when she hit a magnificent bunker shot to three feet and holed the par putt at the 18th that sealed the Sunshine Ladies Tour Investec Property Fund Order of Merit.

Bregman, who won the season-opening Canon Tshwane Open, also closed with a 67 to take fourth on three-under 213.

She said: “I didn’t have the best start to the week, which was a pity, but I came out today and wanted to do really well. I knew that I had nothing to lose and to finish off the way that I did, it teaches me a lot about myself, that I have what it takes at clutch moments like that. I knew what I had to do and to pull it off was just magical.”

Buhai started the day one shot off the pace, behind Karolin Lampert. The German overruled Buhai for the second-round lead with a 69 but Lampert didn’t hold on to the lead for long.

Making the most of the tranquil conditions, Buhai closed the gap with a birdie start and moved to seven-under with back to back gains at the fifth and sixth holes to take a two-stroke lead.

Long-hitting Lampert birdied the par-5 seventh to narrow the gap but missed an opportunity to tie for the lead when her birdie putt on the ninth from five feet moved below the hole.

Buhai then birdied the 10th to regain her two-stroke advantage and stretched that to three strokes when Lampert bogeyed number 11. Both players birdied the long 13th and Lampert made a fantastic putt from the back of the 14th green, only to drop a shot on the short 15th.

Buhai had birdie chances on 16, 17 and again at 18, where her birdie putt slipped past the hole, leaving her a tap-in for par.

Lampert was thrilled with a strong start to her season after she signed off with a 70 in South Africa.

“I wanted to post a sub-par round and I was really pleased to do that,” said former LET Access Series winner Lampert, who now has her sights set on a Ladies European Tour title in 2018. “Ashleigh played really well, a 67 and more chances on the back nine, so it was really hard to keep up with her. I’ve been pleased with my game all week and happy to finish second.

“I’m so pleased that I decided to start my season at the Investec SA Women’s Open. I’ve been working on my swing in the off-season to get some more length off the tee and I did that here, so it was a good decision to stay a bit longer off the course. Today I hit it longer than I expected, even with my irons.”

Moroccan Maha Haddioui ended in third place on four-under-par, which was her best result since she earned her Ladies European Tour card in 2013.

“It feels really good. I love being in South Africa. I had a tough time in Australia and didn’t play great. I loved it there, but it was really frustrating. Finishing third here and having my best finish on the LET is really awesome. The course suited my game and I think the key was just playing smart. I played chicken a lot of the time and didn’t go for the pins, but I putted well and it really helped me this week.

“It’s more special to be in Africa, on my home continent. Even though I’m really far from home, I still feel at home, somehow. I really like being in South Africa and I haven’t been for a few years. I’m going to go and see the penguins today, so I’m really excited.”

Three-time LET winner Florentyna Parker closed out the top five. The English golfer carded a final round 70 to finish at two-under-par 214.

The final trophy at the prize giving was handed to South African Lindi Coetzee (below right). The 18-year-old used the experience gained from playing with professionals in five Sunshine Ladies Tour events to make the cut and lift the Jackie Mercer trophy as the leading amateur in this year’s national open.

More scores & prize money.

Round 2 - Karolin Lampert takes 1-shot lead into final day in SA

March 09, 2018

Germany’s Karolin Lampert shot a solid second-round 69 in glorious conditions to hold the lead going into the final day of the Investec South African Women’s Open in Cape Town.

At five-under-par, she holds a one stroke advantage over the first-round leader, South African Ashleigh Buhai, who shot a 71 at Westlake Golf Club.

Bonita Bredenhann from Namibia boxed a 25-foot putt for birdie on the 18th green for a 71 to lift herself into third position on three-under, while Iceland’s Valdis Thora Jonsdottir and Maha Haddioui from Morocco share fourth on one-under-par.

Lampert, who is playing in her first start of the season after an extended break, is chasing her first victory on the Ladies European Tour, although she previously won the 2015 Azores Ladies Open on the LET Access Series.

The 23-year-old from Golf Club St. Leon Rot said: “I’m really happy with my game today. My long game was much better than yesterday so I’m really happy about that and looking forward to tomorrow. It was great to go out early and post a low round. I played solidly the last two days. I’m looking forward to playing with Ashleigh and it will be fun, so we’ll see who ends up on top.”

Buhai also enjoyed the tranquil conditions and despite three bogeys coming in, she remained upbeat. The 28-year-old from Johannesburg, who won her national title twice as an amateur, said: “I thought I played very steady on my front nine, which was the back nine today. I had a steady start and hit some good shots. It ran a little long in the first few holes. I got myself in a little downward spiral on the last four holes and made three birdies, but I saw the leader was on five-under, so I really wanted to make that birdie on nine and holed a really good birdie to do that.”

While Buhai, with two victories on the LET, is one of the most experienced players in the field, Bredenhann is chasing her breakthrough professional title. The number one amateur in SA for two years played on the LET for four years but lost her card in 2016 and she has since built up her own business fitting granite kitchen worktops. Prior to this week, she prepared by playing on her local sand course and thanked Namibia Wildlife Resorts for supporting her comeback.

Overwhelmed at her own ability, she cannot believe that she’s in the last three-ball on Sunday.

“I didn’t expect this, at all. I don’t know that to say. I started playing yesterday and everything came together and it stayed together today as well, so I’m really, really happy,” she said.

“This is the first big tournament for me in quite a few years. I’m going to be walking up to the first tee in the last group, in contention. I can’t remember when I was last in this spot.

“Today, I think the nerves got to me a little bit, so I had a few dropped shots but I kept it together and came back on the last nine with two birdies. On the last putt, I was a bit shaky, but when I looked at it and I hit it, it was just perfect and in the hole.”

There are two other potential first-time winners on the leader board in Jonsdottir and Haddioui, who shot rounds of 69 and 71 on the tight and tree-lined course in the afternoon respectively.

Haddioui said: “It’s a position I haven’t been in this year. I struggled in the first two events, so it’s nice to be able to play some good golf, especially on this course as it’s very challenging. I’m very happy to be in South Africa, as it’s a place I love and I haven’t been here for a while. I’m just very excited to be here and to be able to play on a course like this.

“I don’t think it’s a course where you want to be too aggressive, because a lot of trouble can come. I’m just going to keep it simple and try to make putts.”

England’s Florentyna Parker had a second consecutive round of 72 to sit five shots off the pace in solo sixth spot. The five players a shot further back are Sweden’s Lina Boqvist, Austrian Christine Wolf, South African Tandi McCallum, England’s Kiran Matharu and Ana Menendez from Mexico.

After an opening 78, the defending champion Lee-Anne Pace fought back with a 69 to be on three-over-par and is eight strokes from the lead heading into the last day.

Round 1 - Ashleigh Buhai off to good start in Cape Town

March 08, 2018

Ashleigh Buhai made the perfect start in her quest to secure a third Investec South African Women’s Open title with a sparkling 69 at Westlake Golf Club in Cape Town on Thursday.

Maintaining the good form that earned her an eighth Sunshine Ladies Tour trophy with a five-shot winning margin in the Joburg Ladies Open last month, South Africa’s leading international golfer made a measured start with a bogey on her second hole and a birdie on her seventh for a level par front nine, but she racked up three birdies on the backward nine, with gains at the 11th, 15th and 18th.

The 28-year-old Royal Johannesburg and Kensington golfer, who twice won her national title as an amateur, in 2004 and 2007, said that she was feeling much better having recovered from the jet lag of coming home after three LPGA events in Australia and Asia.

“I’m very pleased. I’ve been a little tired because I’ve had a long three weeks overseas in hot weather. I just tried to stay focused today and play maintenance and not get too far ahead of myself and it seemed to work,” said Buhai, whose two wins on the Ladies European Tour came at the 2007 Catalonia Ladies Masters and the 2011 Portugal Ladies Open.

“I did stay patient and I was hitting some good shots. It’s a funny game, once you hole one, you tend to hole a few more, so I just needed that putt to drop on 11, and it was a really long 35-footer. Then I holed two good putts on 15 and 18.

“On 15, I nearly holed my tee shot and made a nice birdie and then I really wanted to make that birdie on 18, because I saw the leaders were on two under, so my goal was to get to three to be the clubhouse leader.

“We got pretty lucky with the weather, because it wasn’t anywhere near as windy as the past few days. We had a bit of rain on our back nine and none of us were prepared but we’re not going to complain about it. Despite the drought, the greens are fantastic and they use bore hole water here at Westlake and they have managed to get the course really green.

“The layout is really good and you’ve got to play consistent golf. You’ve got to shape the ball both ways as there are a lot of tee shots that are dog legs left to right and right to left. I feel at the moment I’m shaping the ball whatever way I need to and I’ve worked on it hard the last few weeks. I’m very happy with the way I went today and hopefully a few more days like that.”

Buhai is one ahead of three other players: Bonita Bredenhann from Namibia, Silvia Bañon from Spain and Karolin Lampert of Germany. England’s Kiran Matharu, who won the 2017 Canon Ladies Tshwane Open on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, is a stroke back in fifth place on one-under-par. There are six further players on level par including the 2017 Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open winner Florentyna Parker, the recent SA Women’s Masters champion Laura Fuenfstueck, South African Ivanna Samu, French pair Camille Chevalier and Manon Mollé and Maha Haddioui from Morocco.

The second round of the 54-hole championship gets under way at 7.20am on Friday, with Buhai starting from the 10th hole at 8am.

Scores

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