The final round of the AIG Women's Open had a tighter finish than seemed likely at the start of the day.
After 54 holes, Yealimi Noh led by three, but her relatively strong grip on proceedings gradually loosened as the afternoon wore on at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
That left the door ajar for several players, including Esther Henseleit and Shiho Kuwaki, and after finishing her round earlier, it was the latter who headed back to the clubhouse to see if she'd done enough after shooting 70.
Still, Noh and Henseleit had a chance to force a playoff, with both heading down the 18th needing a birdie.
Both players left themselves long birdie putts to force extra holes, and one of them, Henseleit, defied the odds to do just that and keep her chances of victory alive.
Kuwaki and Henseleit headed to the 18th tee box for the sudden-death playoff, and it was Kuwaki who edged out her opponent on the second extra hole.
That brings an array of perks for the LPGA of Japan Tour professional, including huge prize money, but how much did she win? Thanks to her victory, Kuwaki wins $1.5m of the record $10m prize money.
For comparison, a year ago, Miyu Yamashita won $1,462,500 for her AIG Women's Open victory.
While there will be understandable disappointment for Henseleit after running her opponent so close, she still ends the week significantly better off than she started it, with prize money of $994,669.
Below is what each player who made the cut won at the AIG Women's Open.
AIG WOMEN'S OPEN PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN
Position |
Player |
Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
1st |
Shiho Kuwaki |
$1,500,000 |
2nd |
Esther Henseleit |
$994,669 |
3rd |
Yealimi Noh |
$720,803 |
T4 |
Jeeno Thitikul |
$502,367 |
T4 |
Nelly Korda |
$502,367 |
T6 |
Haeran Ryu |
$266,642 |
T6 |
Lottie Woad |
$266,642 |
T6 |
Charley Hull |
$266,642 |
T6 |
Wei Ling Hsu |
$266,642 |
T6 |
Shannon Tan |
$266,642 |
T6 |
Rio Takeda |
$266,642 |
T12 |
Minami Katsu |
$171,436 |
T12 |
Celine Boutier |
$171,436 |
T12 |
Yuka Saso |
$171,436 |
T12 |
Sara Kouskova |
$171,436 |
T16 |
Lucy Li |
$136,491 |
T16 |
Jinhee Im |
$136,491 |
T16 |
Lauren Coughlin |
$136,491 |
T16 |
Hyojoo Kim |
$136,491 |
T20 |
Chanettee Wannasean |
$118,469 |
T20 |
Lydia Ko |
$118,469 |
T20 |
Soo Bin Joo |
$118,469 |
T23 |
Ashleigh Buhai |
$99,721 |
T23 |
Carla Tejdeo Mulet |
$99,721 |
T23 |
Mao Saigo |
$99,721 |
T23 |
Pia Babnik |
$99,721 |
T23 |
Amelia Garvey |
$99,721 |
T23 |
Patty Tavatanakit |
$99,721 |
T29 |
Chizzy Iwai |
$77,057 |
T29 |
Sei Young Kim |
$77,057 |
T29 |
Hannah Green |
$77,057 |
T29 |
Brooke Henderson |
$77,057 |
T29 |
Paula Martin Sampedro (a) |
N/A |
T29 |
Yuna Araki |
$77,057 |
T29 |
Anna Nordqvist |
$77,057 |
T36 |
Jin Yang |
$59,055 |
T36 |
Alexandra Forsterling |
$59,055 |
T36 |
Mimi Rhodes |
$59,055 |
T36 |
Maja Stark |
$59,055 |
T36 |
Arpichaya Yubol |
$59,055 |
T41 |
Yana Wilson |
$49,664 |
T41 |
Cara Gainer |
$49,664 |
T41 |
Auston Kim |
$49,664 |
T44 |
Dewi Weber |
$43,655 |
T44 |
Nastasia Nadaud |
$43,655 |
T44 |
Nasa Hataoka |
$43,655 |
T47 |
Robyn Choi |
$36,556 |
T47 |
Amy Yang |
$36,556 |
T47 |
Jenny Shin |
$36,556 |
T47 |
Manon De Roey |
$36,556 |
T47 |
Rose Zhang |
$36,556 |
T47 |
Jin Young Ko |
$36,556 |
T53 |
Ayaka Furue |
$29,728 |
T53 |
Yunseo Yang (a) |
N/A |
T53 |
Ariya Jutanugarn |
$29,728 |
T53 |
Alice Hewson |
$29,728 |
T53 |
Julia Lopez Ramirez |
$29,728 |
T58 |
Annabell Fuller |
$25,636 |
T58 |
Kajsa Arwefjall |
$25,636 |
T58 |
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard |
$25,636 |
T61 |
Lindy Duncan |
$23,451 |
T61 |
Akie Iwai |
$23,451 |
T61 |
Aunchisa Utama |
$23,451 |
64th |
Amanda Doherty |
$22,363 |
T65 |
Minji Kang |
$15,755 |
T65 |
Alison Lee |
$15,755 |
T65 |
Mi Hyang Li |
$15,755 |
68th |
Cassandra Alexander |
$4.250 |