Kuwaki stuns Henseleit in Women's Open playoff thriller

Nobody expected a playoff at the AIG Women's Open until Esther Henseleit made sure of one. She stuffed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole at Royal Lytham & St Annes to shoot 70 and force sudden death, tying Shiho Kuwaki at 5-under 279 in a finish that flipped the tournament in about 10 seconds.

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OH MY ESTHER HENSELEIT INSANE BIRDIE ON THE 72ND HOLE TO FORCE A PLAYOFF AT THE WOMEN’S OPEN

That's the kind of moment that makes major championship golf unbearable to watch and impossible to look away from. One putt, and a tournament that looked decided turns into a two-woman shootout with a green jacket-level trophy on the line -- this being the 50th playing of the AIG Women's Open, no less.

The playoff itself wasn't clean, but it didn't need to be. Kuwaki survived a scramble on the first extra hole, saving par from an awkward spot to send both players back to the 18th tee for round 2. On the second playoff hole, Henseleit's ball found trouble under a gorse bush and her par putt slid by, leaving Kuwaki a short one to close it out.

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Shiho Kuwaki wins the Women’s Open on the second playoff hole 🏆

For Kuwaki, it's not just a first major -- it's her first win of any kind on the LPGA Tour, coming in only her 7th major start. She banked $1.5 million out of the $10 million purse and became the second straight Japanese winner of this championship, a stretch that's turning into a real run for the sport back home.

Majors have a way of producing these side moments too, and the AIG Women's Open delivered one away from the leaderboard drama. A young fan on someone's shoulders getting handed a signed club by a smiling pro is the kind of clip that reminds you why these events matter beyond who's hoisting the trophy.

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Nelly gave a young fan a signed club at the Women’s Open, and the smile on her face says it all. Incredibly wholesome.

Henseleit walks away with a runner-up finish that should only raise her profile -- forcing a playoff with a putt like that on the 72nd hole isn't a fluke, it's a statement. But this week belongs to Kuwaki, who turned a major championship debut-caliber run into a trophy at Royal Lytham.