LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Shiho Kuwaki of Japan saved par to stay alive in a sudden-death playoff Sunday and won with a par on the second extra hole to claim the AIG Women’s Open over Esther Henseleit of Germany for her first major title.
Kuwaki closed with a 1-under 70 and looked like a winner in regulation until Henseleit holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Lytham & St. Annes for a 70 to join Kuwaki at 5-under 279.
Henseleit then had the advantage in the playoff when the 23-year-old from Japan was in deep grass short of a bunker and had to lay up short of the green. Kuwaki hit wedge to 3 feet to save par and got another chance when Henseleit missed a 15-foot birdie putt for the win.
Here’s how the $10 million purse was paid out in the final major of the season, the AIG Women’s Open.
