In doing so, Buhai added her name to an illustrious list of South African golfers to have won at Muirfield, the scene of the first Men’s Open victories for Gary Player and Ernie Els.
“Adding my name to this list with Gary and Ernie is such an honor,” she told CNN’s Don Riddell.
“But as the first woman to win at Muirfield, we made history last week… times are changing.
“Last week everyone was amazing there, the crowd was amazing – they welcomed us with open arms.”
serenity
The 33-year-old looked to lose her game-changing win as she triple-bogeyed the 15th hole, the five-stroke advantage she had early in the final round fading when Chun leveled.
Having bogeyed just once every day before – one under 70, carded 65 and carded 64 – Buhai now needed three straight pars to easily climb to four over 75. But rather than panicking, the South African was determined to keep his cool.
“I just said to myself, ‘Okay, we’re tied at the top again’… I hadn’t lost it yet,” Buhai recalled.
“I still had three holes to go. And my caddy just said to me, ‘Let’s get back in and focus on the next shot.’ And that was all I could do, the only thing I controlled was the next shot.
“I had done so much well this week so I tried not to let that one hole disrupt my whole week.”
In fact, Buhai kept his nerve, finished with three pars and set up an exciting sudden death playoff with Chun.
Tension for Buhai was compounded by the opposition’s pedigree as Chun chased after her second major of the season after winning the PGA Championship in June.
“I was just trying to be in the moment and focus on every shot,” Buhai said.
“I knew In-Gee would be a fierce competitor, she’s already a big winner.”
“Life Changing”
Unable to get separated after three rounds of the 18th hole, the impasse was broken when Chun – after finding a bunker off the tee – could only bogey. Despite walking into the sand with her opponent, an incredible close shot from Buhai earned her a short putt for her first major title.
The South African rolled the ball home without making a mistake. After gazing at the sky, the new champion was hugged by her husband David, a picture of the anxiety and stress throughout the playoffs.
A tearful Buhai paid tribute to her husband – who previously worked for her as a caddy for eight years – in an emotional interview after the win. After turning pro in 2007, the triumph at Muirfield marked an unprecedented new climax in a ‘long journey’.
Despite three wins on the Ladies European Tour, Buhai – who never finished higher than 5th at any Major – was still wanting her first win on the LPGA Tour when she landed in Scotland on Thursday.
The joy of ending that drought was only sweetened by claiming $1,095,000 in prize money, skyrocketing her career earnings to $3,503,926 and continuing a landmark year for women’s golf prize money.
Minjee Lee’s $1.8 million win from an unprecedented $10 million pot at the US Open in June was followed by another record prize at the PGA Championship, where Chun won $1.35 million from a 9 took home millions of dollars, doubling from last year’s event.
Along with the increased media attention that comes with being a great champion, they are the kind of figures who will turn Buhai’s world upside down.
“The money we’re playing for now … it’s life-changing,” she said. “We’ve never played for that much money so the purses are great.
“I think I won’t realize it for a few months, when things really start to hit the mark.”