Kuwaki Wins Women’s Open in Play-off After Henseleit’s Dramatic 18th-Hole Birdie
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Germany's Esther Henseleit delivered a stunning climax to regulation play at Royal Lytham & St Annes, sinking an improbable long-range birdie putt on the 18th green to force a play-off with Japan's Shiho Kuwaki. The shot, which commentators described with astonishment, prevented Kuwaki from claiming an outright victory and sent the championship to an unexpected deciding contest.
Kuwaki ultimately prevailed in the two-hole play-off to secure the £1.11m prize and the Women's Open title, becoming the second consecutive Japanese player to win the championship. The victory marked a remarkable turnaround for Kuwaki, who had missed the cut at the same venue just 12 months earlier, demonstrating her resurgence in form at one of golf's most prestigious tournaments.
- Henseleit forced a play-off with an extraordinary birdie putt on the final hole
- Kuwaki defeated Henseleit in a two-hole play-off to win the championship and £1.11m prize
- Kuwaki became the second consecutive Japanese champion, rebounding from missing the cut the previous year
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Kuwaki wins the Women's Open at Lytham after Henseleit forces a play-off
Golf's Women's Open is one of the sport's five major championships, and this year it was held at Royal Lytham & St Annes, a well-known course in Lancashire. Shiho Kuwaki, a golfer from Japan, and Esther Henseleit, from Germany, were the two players competing for the title, which comes with a large prize fund and considerable prestige in the women's game.
A play-off happens when two or more players finish the main rounds of a tournament tied on the same score, requiring extra holes to determine a winner. It matters here because Henseleit's dramatic putt on the final hole of regulation play meant the title was not settled in normal play, forcing an additional deciding contest between the two golfers.