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.