Despite Not Making The Scottish Open Cut, Will The Defending Champ Ashleigh Buhai Play at The 2023 AIG Women’s Open?

The last and final major of the season in the world of women’s golf is just around the corner as the 2023 AIG Women’s Open is all set to start on the 10th of August at the Walton Health Club in England. The tournament was first established in 1976, and is currently organized by The R&A. Many are eyeing the trophy as it is one of the most anticipated events on the calendar and the golfing world is curious about who gets to take a run at the title.

Only a select group of players will be able to participate in the exclusive tournament. The event will see a field of 144 women golfers duking it out on the course. But fans are only curious about one thing, will the defending champion Ashleigh Buhai be taking part in the championship?

Does Ashleigh Buhai qualify for the 2023 AIG Women’s Open?

Winner of the 2022 AIG Women’s Open, Buhai, fought her way through 2023 with a win each on the LPGA Tour and the LET. She secured her first title in 2023 at the South African Women’s Open in March where she finished with a score of 266(-22). She clinched her second LPGA Tour win at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June with a score of 14-under-par 199.

The question still haunts the fans- will the South African golfer be able to play at the AIG Women’s Open? The answer is Yes. She has made it into the list of golfers qualified to play at the major.

The championship provides an intense competition for the golfers to qualify for the same. The 34-year-old has qualified to take part in the tournament under a number of criteria. Firstly, the top 30 players and anyone tying for the 30th place in the previous edition of the major at Muirfield gets qualified to play in this year’s championship, and the pro golfer won the said event. Secondly, the top 85 players from the 2023 LET Order of Merit can play at the event and Buhai occupies the 14th place in the ranking.

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In addition to this, the top 120 players from the LPGA Race to CME Globe Season automatically gain entry, and the pro golfer has been maintaining her spot in the top 10 for a while. Moreover, the top 50 players on the 2023 Rolex Rankings Week as of July 3 can also play and Ashleigh had been at the 16th spot then. Her amazing achievements are what bought her here to the final major of the season and it will be a treat to watch how the defending champion will look to fare in the event.

Buhai’s performance at the Scottish Open

In the recently ended FREED Group Women’s Scottish Open, Buhai failed to make her presence felt as she missed the weekend cut. She was forced to go home early as she only managed to score 4-above-par 76 and 72 (+1) in the first two rounds respectively. Finishing at a total of 5 above par, she was forced to drop out of the race for the title.

In the previous majors in 2023, the golf pro finished in twentieth place at the Amundi Evian Championship, T18 at the Chevron Championship, and T68 at the 2023 US Women’s Open while settling at the thirty-ninth place in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The pro golfer started her journey back in 2006 in the Women’s Open with her best finish before her win last year coming off in 2019 where she finished in 5th place. While failing to make the cut a total of seven times, she went ahead to win the major in 2022, where she finished with a score of 274 (-10).

The golfer has had a close year of sorts making her a strong contender for the title. What do you think Ashleigh Buhai’s chances are at winning the AIG Women’s Open? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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