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A14 sports
Monday 8 august 2022
Ashleigh Buhai wins Women's British Open after playoff

MUIRFIELD, Scotland (AP) ished one shot back in third
— After seeing a five-shot after missing a chip from just
lead slip away in the final off the green that would
round, Ashleigh Buhai still have made it a three-way
managed to secure a first playoff.
major title at the Women's Chun was in trouble on the
British Open. first two playoff holes, but
Buhai kept her composure her short game bailed her
to beat In Gee Chun — out both times.
and the setting sun — in a On the first, Chun sent her
playoff at Muirfield on Sun- second shot into a bunker
day for her first career vic- while Buhai found the heart
tory in an LPGA Tour event. of the green. But the South
With the light fading, the Korean hit a near-perfect
South African golfer made bunker shot to within a few
a superb bunker shot on feet of the hole to salvage
the fourth playoff hole to the par. On the second, she
leave herself with a short needed to make an 8-foot
par putt, while Chun settled bogey putt to stay in it af-
for a bogey. ter sending her second shot
The 33-year-old Buhai wide and then barely mak-
calmly rolled in from less ing it onto the green with a
than three feet and then chip from the tall grass.
clutched her face in relief, South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai poses for the media holding the trophy after winning the Women's Buhai nearly won it on the
before being drenched in British Open golf championship, during the presentation ceremony in Muirfield, Scotland, Sunday, third playoff hole, but her
water and other beverag- Aug. 7, 2022. long putt for the win pulled
es by her entourage. Associated Press up a few inches away from
"I was surprisingly calm," Bu- the hole.
hai said about the clutch British Open in a playoff had to be, though. "I know there are a lot of For Buhai, the win more than
bunker shot that secured at Muirfield in 2002 after a She entered the final round people in South Africa with made up for a near-miss at
the victory. "My caddie memorable bunker shot with a commanding five- lots of gray hairs right now that 2019 Women's British
said to me on the last one, I during the final round. shot lead and was still three after that 15th hole," Buhai Open, when she led the
don't want to brag, but she This was the first time the strokes ahead before a said. "But I'm very proud of event at the halfway stage
said 'Show them why you're Women's British Open was triple bogey on the par-4 myself, the way I dug deep at Woburn but finished fifth.
No. 1 in bunkers this year.' played at Muirfield, a club 15th that put her level with and kept myself in it to get "Forgive me, there will be a
So, you know, she gave me that didn't even allow fe- Chun. into that playoff." few tears," Buhai said dur-
the confidence. Maybe it's male members until 2019 Both players missed long Buhai shot a 4-over 75 in ing the trophy presenta-
got something to do with following a vote two years birdie putts on the 18th as the final round, while Chun tion. "Obviously there's a
Muirfield and South Afri- earlier. they settled for a playoff carded a 70. lot of hard work and many
cans and bunker shots." Buhai made things a lot after finishing on 10-under Hinako Shibuno of Japan, years of dedication going
Ernie Els also won the men's more difficult than they 274. the 2019 champion, fin- into this."q

Samsonova tops Kanepi for women's tennis title in Washington

Ukraine. She used a pow- pion in Washington. That 90-degree Fahrenheit (32
erful serve that reached final was scheduled to be Celsius) afternoon not all
119 mph against Kanepi to shown on Tennis Channel, that conducive to lengthy
make her way through the which shunted the wom- exchanges or a lot of run-
bracket at the hard-court en's final off its main station ning. Some spectators held
tournament, including a and instead aired pickle- umbrellas to provide shade;
victory over reigning U.S. ball. portable electric fans were
Open champion Emma Both women are quite placed next to sideline
Raducanu. capable of terrific serv- seats to offer a bit of respite
Samsonova's other cham- ing and showed so right to Kanepi and Samsanova
pionship came last year at away: Kanepi closed out during changeovers.
a grass-court tournament her first service game with Kanepi finally found an
in Berlin. Kanepi, a 37-year- a 96 mph ace; Samsonova opening and barged
old from Estonia, was seek- finished off hers with a 112 through while ahead 5-4
ing her fifth trophy and first mph service winner. at the outset. Right after
since 2013. She faded on When Samsonova deliv- smacking a 119 mph ace,
Liudmila Samsonova, of Russia, places a bag of ice on her head
during a final against Kaia Kanepi, of Estonia, at the Citi Open Sunday after taking the first ered an ace at 113 mph Samsonova gifted two
tennis tournament Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, in Washington. set and left the court for a to hold for 4-all, the match unforced errors off back-
Associated Press medical timeout late in the was 25 minutes old, and hands — one into the net,
second set during a five- neither player had gener- the other wide — to offer
By HOWARD FENDRICH the Citi Open on Sunday. game run for Samsonova. ated a break point. By the up the match's initial break
WASHINGTON (AP) — Li- Samsonova is a 23-year-old The men's final at the U.S. end, Samsonova had won point and, as it happened,
udmila Samsonova hit 10 Russian currently ranked Open tuneup event was 35 of 43 first-serve points. a set point. Kanepi handled
aces and won her second 60th after needing to sit out to follow, pitting Wimble- This was big-serve, quick- the ensuing 117 mph serve,
career WTA title by coming part of the season, includ- don runner-up Nick Kyrgios strike tennis between a sending it deep and rush-
back to beat sixth-seeded ing Wimbledon, because against Yoshihito Nishioka. pair of women with similar ing Samsonova, whose wild
Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at of her country's invasion of Kyrgios was the 2019 cham- playing styles on a humid, forehand ended that set.q