Ashleigh Buhai

Ashleigh Buhai
Buhai in 2009
Personal information
Full nameAshleigh Ann Buhai
Born (1989-05-11) 11 May 1989 (age 35)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Sporting nationality South Africa
SpouseDavid Buhai (2016)
Career
Turned professional2007
Current tour(s)Ladies European Tour
LPGA Tour
Professional wins22
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour2
Ladies European Tour6
ALPG Tour1
Other14
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 1)
Chevron ChampionshipT18: 2023
Women's PGA C'shipT18: 2020
U.S. Women's OpenT27: 2017
Women's British OpenWon: 2022
Evian ChampionshipT15: 2022
Achievements and awards
Sunshine Ladies Tour
Order of Merit		2017

Ashleigh Ann Buhai (née Simon, born 11 May 1989) is a South African professional golfer who won the 2022 Women's Open, one of the major championships in women's golf.

Amateur career

Buhai had a successful amateur career. She was the youngest player to win the ladies’ South African Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play double.[1] She represented her country in the mainly professional Women's World Cup of Golf three times while still an amateur.[2][3][4]

Professional career

Buhai turned professional the day after her 18th birthday.[1] She won the 2007 Catalonia Ladies Masters, which was her third event as a professional. She became the youngest ever professional winner on the Ladies European Tour (South Korea's Amy Yang won the 2006 ANZ Ladies Masters at a younger age as an amateur).[5]

Ashleigh now plays under the name Ashleigh Buhai after marrying her husband, David, in December 2016.[6]

Buhai earned her LPGA Tour card for 2014 at qualifying school.

On 7 August 2022, after 221 LPGA Tour starts, Buhai won her first major title by winning the AIG Women's Open at Muirfield, Scotland. She defeated Chun In-gee on the fourth hole of sudden-death playoff after both players finished regulation play at −10.

In December 2022, Buhai won the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open by 1 stroke over Jiyai Shin.[7] In December 2023, she successfully defended her ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open title with a 1 stroke victory over Minjee Lee at The Australian Golf Club[8]

Amateur wins

  • 2004 Jack Newton Junior International Classic (Australia), South African Amateur Stroke Play, South African Amateur Match Play
  • 2005 South African Amateur Stroke Play
  • 2006 South African Amateur Stroke Play, South African Amateur Match Play, AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions (USA)
  • 2007 South African Amateur Stroke Play, South African Amateur Match Play

Professional wins (22)

LPGA Tour wins (2)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other LPGA Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)
1 7 Aug 2022 AIG Women's Open[1] 70-65-64-75=274 −10 Playoff South Korea Chun In-gee 1,095,000
2 11 June 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic 69-65-65=199 −14 1 stroke South Korea Kim Hyo-joo 262,500

1 Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2020 Cambia Portland Classic England Georgia Hall Lost to par on second extra hole
2 2022 AIG Women's Open South Korea Chun In-gee Won with par on fourth extra hole

Ladies European Tour wins (5)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 17 June 2007 Catalonia Ladies Masters 70-68-70=208 −8 2 strokes Wales Becky Brewerton
England Kirsty Taylor
2 15 May 2011 ISPS Handa Portugal Ladies Open 66-67-67=200 −16 3 strokes France Gwladys Nocera
3 10 Mar 2018 Investec South African Women's Open (3)[2] 69-71-67=207 −9 2 strokes Germany Karolin Lampert
4 7 Aug 2022 AIG Women's Open[3] 70-65-64-75=274 −10 Playoff South Korea Chun In-gee
5 11 Mar 2023 Investec South African Women's Open (4)[2] 64-65-69-68=266 -22 4 strokes Spain Ana Peláez

2 Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
3 Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour.

Ladies European Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2022 AIG Women's Open South Korea Chun In-gee Won with par on fourth extra hole

WPGA Tour of Australasia wins (2)

Sunshine Ladies Tour wins (12)

4 Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.

Other wins (4)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2022 Women's British Open Five shot lead −10 (70-65-64-75=274) Playoff South Korea Chun In-gee

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order.

! Tournament 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Chevron Championship CUT T75 CUT CUT CUT T18 CUT
U.S. Women's Open CUT CUT CUT T27 T57 T55 T30 CUT T68 T51
Women's PGA Championship T31 T40 CUT T50 T36 T47 CUT T18 CUT T21 T39 T52
The Evian Championship ^ CUT CUT T37 NT T58 T15 T20 WD
Women's British Open CUT CUT CUT T43 CUT T47 CUT T66 T47 T30 CUT 5 T11 CUT 1 CUT T22

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Chevron Championship 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 2
Women's PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 2 12 9
U.S. Women's Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 6
The Evian Championship 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 4
Women's British Open 1 0 0 2 2 4 17 9
Totals 1 0 0 2 2 9 53 30
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2022 WPGA – 2023 Evian)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

LPGA Tour career summary

Year Tournaments
played		 Cuts
made*		 Wins (Majors) 2nds 3rds Top
10s		 Best
finish		 Earnings
($)		 Money
list rank		 Scoring
average		 Scoring
rank
2005 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 n/a n/a n/a n/a
2006 2 1 0 0 0 1 T7 n/a n/a n/a n/a
2007 5 3 0 0 0 0 T16 n/a n/a n/a n/a
2008 14 5 0 0 0 0 T35 20,330 157 74.27 144
2009 15 7 0 0 0 0 T23 39,752 118 73.18 101
2010 1 1 0 0 0 0 T43 12,810 140 73.25 n/a
2011 2 0 0 0 0 0 Cut 0 n/a 73.50 n/a
2012 0 ** 0 ** 0 0 0 0 T56 3,146 ** n/a 76.25 n/a
2013 1 1 0 0 0 0 T47 10,554 142 73.75 n/a
2014 18 9 0 0 0 0 T15 78,294 98 72.64 95
2015 17 8 0 0 0 0 T42 40,831 117 73.12 114
2016 16 8 0 0 0 0 T22 73,210 107 71.87 66
2017 21 10 0 1 1 3 2 461,094 42 71.60 66
2018 28 17 0 0 0 1 T7 254,692 72 71.93 77
2019 27 19 0 0 0 1 5 407,546 51 71.60 77
2020 16 14 0 1 0 3 2 429,628 24 71.83 55
2021 24 17 0 0 0 2 T8 229,695 75 71.27 63
2022 24 15 1 (1) 0 0 3 1 1,553,004 10 71.19 60
2023 23 17 1 0 1 6 1 1,016,049 26 70.76 33
2024 23 19 0 0 0 2 6 569,681 67 71.49 63
Totals^ 270 (2008) 167 (2008) 2 (1) 2 2 22 1 5,197,170 89

^ official as of 2024 season[9][10][11]
* Includes matchplay and other tournaments without a cut.
** *ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open not counted by LPGA

World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

Year World ranking Source
2012 173 [12]
2013 170 [13]
2014 163 [14]
2015 212 [15]
2016 223 [16]
2017 113 [17]
2018 115 [18]
2019 104 [19]
2020 70 [20]
2021 84 [21]
2022 24 [22]
2023 23 [23]

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

  • World Cup (representing South Africa): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

References

  1. ^ a b "Ashleigh finally turns Professional - off to Europe". Women's Golf South Africa. 12 May 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  2. ^ Park, Martin (17 December 2004). "Women's World Cup of Golf: Twenty teams confirmed". Ladies European Tour. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  3. ^ Vlismas, Michael (19 January 2006). "South Africans ready to take on the world". Ladies European Tour. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  4. ^ "Paraguay on brink of World Cup glory". Ladies European Tour. 20 January 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  5. ^ "Simon Seals Maiden LET Victory". Ladies European Tour. 17 June 2007. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  6. ^ "Newly-wed Buhai keen to get back into the swing of things". www.sascoc.co.za. 17 January 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  7. ^ Heverin, Dale (4 December 2022). "Buhai secures Open double". Golf.org.au. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  8. ^ Blake, Martin (3 December 2023). "Women's wrap: Gutsy Buhai denies Minjee Lee". Golf.org.au.
  9. ^ "Ashleigh Buhai results". LPGA. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Ashleigh Buhai stats". LPGA. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Career Money". LPGA. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2013.
  14. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 29 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2017.
  18. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 27 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2023.