Buhai shrugs off pressure to defend Women's British Open title at Walton Heath

South African golfer Ashleigh Buhai has shrugged off the pressure as she prepares to defend her Women's British Open title at Walton Heath this week.

The AIG Women's Open gets under way at the Surrey venue from Thursday to Sunday.

Twelve months ago, Buhai made history by becoming the first South African female golfer to win a Major championship since 1988.

It was an emotional win at the historic Muirfield course, which was hosting the Women's Open for the first time.

Buhai, who tapped in for par in the fourth play-off hole to defeat South Korea's Chun In-gee, became the third South African woman to win a Major golf championship after Sally Little and Alison Sheard.

Her victory was also South Africa's first Major, including men and women, since Els' 2012 Open win at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

She did not stop there.

Buhai ended 2022 in style with an Australian Open win and then returned to South Africa where she captured the SA Women's Open title at Steenberg.

In June this year, she won her second LPGA Tour title when she lifted the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Looking ahead to Walton Heath course, where the heather is both lovely and treacherous, this week, Buhai hopes to become the first player since Yani Tseng in 2011 to successfully defend the AIG Women's Open.

"I feel any time I step into a tournament, if my game is there ... [it] has given me the confidence to believe that I can win if I'm playing well, and that's proven over the last year what I've been able to do," Buhai told reporters.

"Since it's very difficult to defend - we all know this - there's a lot of pressure, but I'm trying not to put pressure on myself.

"I'm trying to just enjoy being back here, being defending champion, and once I get out there on Thursday, not think