Ashley Buhay survived an afternoon of carnage to win the Australian Open and achieve a feat not even Cameron Smith could claim.
The South African won after a dramatic upset of Sydney’s Grace Kim ended local hopes for another year on Sunday.
Buhai closed the tournament with a one-over-par 73 at Victoria Golf Club to post a one-shot victory over Korea’s Jaya Shin (75).
With a 12-of-72-hole total of 277, Bouhai completed a rare British Open-Australian Open double and won her first major championship at Muirfield in July.
Smith became the world’s first bisexual, hotly tipped to add the Stonehaven Cup, which he famously won at St Andrews this year, to the claret jug.
But the world No. 3 didn’t even make Saturday’s men’s open, finishing 47th.
But to Buhay leave the booty.
“It’s the cherry on top,” an emotional Bouhai said of her winning season, choking back tears.
“Sorry, just hit me.”
Half an hour ago, 21-year-old Kim was standing on the 18th tee and sharing the lead.
Alas, the new LPGA Tour graduate had to settle for fourth on the back nine after getting into trouble on the par-5 18th to draw a soul-crushing double bogey.
Honorable compatriot Hannah Green (74) birdied the last of Kim’s 10th for third.
But Green’s hopes had already evaporated on the front nine.
She was two shots off the lead on the day, 12 to 8 under and out of contention, recording two doubles and a bogey to lead nine back, six strokes behind Buhay.
Fellow heavyweight Minjae Lee (71) finished fifth at eight under, but has to wonder what could have been.
With an ugly double-bogey on the seventh eighth, she spoiled a golden start in six holes with three birdies that had sent the world No. 4 into contention.
The U.S. Open champion was never for no reason after going down by seven shots in Buhay.
In the year It is the first time any Australian woman has won the Open since the legendary Carrie Webb took home the title for the fifth time in Victoria in 2014.
Webb came out of semi-retirement to play this week’s special event, rising to the occasion and cracking the top 30 to finish joint 26th.
