Major Heartbreak and Golden Opportunities: What Really Happened at Royal Lytham?

So, the Women’s Open at Royal Lytham. Man, what a finish. You think golf is predictable? Think again. We saw a surprise winner, sure, but more than that, we saw a whole lot of what-ifs. And let me tell you, that feeling? It was everywhere. Some players walked away with the biggest win of their lives, others? They were left staring into the sunset, wondering where it all went wrong. It was pure, unadulterated golf drama. The kind that makes you want to scream at the TV. Or maybe just shake your head in disbelief. Because when you’re that close, and it slips away… that stings. Badly.

The Putt That Changed Everything (For Some)

Esther Henseleit. She’s standing there, taps in for bogey. Looks out at the sunset. Forty minutes earlier, she’d drained this monster putt on the 72nd hole. Birdie. Tied Shiho Kuwaki. Sent it to a playoff. You thinking, “This is it. She’s got this.” Then… she misses a much shorter putt to win it on the first playoff hole. And on the second? Her tee shot apparently takes a detour off a marshal’s leg and bounces into a gorse bush. A bloody gorse bush. She hacks out, plays her third onto the green, but that par putt? Nope. Kuwaki, meanwhile, is sitting there, close enough for par. Henseleit is left with nothing but regret. Kuwaki rolls in her par. Wins the bloody major. Just like that.

Look, Shiho Kuwaki from Japan. She’s a winner on the JLPGA. She’s gonna be a staple on the LPGA. No doubt. She played the last 13 holes in two-under. Posted five-under. Put the pressure on. Hit a perfect iron into the ninth. Steadied herself. Played fast. Played confident. Did what nobody else could. It was her day. Champagne, LPGA membership, life-changing money. All that. But that look on Henseleit’s face… that’s the money shot, right? That’s the look that says, “How fast can this all change?”

The “What If” Crew: Plenty of Them

Henseleit wasn’t the only one leaving Royal Lytham feeling like they’d let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers. That unshakeable feeling? It was hanging in the air like a bad smell. You had Nelly Korda, the World No. 1, firing a solid 68. Finished tied for fourth. Sounds good, right? But then you remember the bogey on the fifth. The double on the sixth. That was her week, wasn’t it? She kept fighting, kept throwing punches. But those big mistakes, like that double on Saturday and that early seven on Sunday… they were the difference between another major title and a finish that was good, but ultimately, just… bland. Especially for someone like Korda.

Then there’s Jeeno Thitikul, World No. 2. She started with a 64. Torched the greens. Everyone’s thinking, “This is it. Her maiden major.” But then? Her putter went colder than a January morning. Final three rounds, especially Sunday, she’s going out in three-over. Can’t make a damn thing. She said it herself: “I knew I missed some, but I feel like my game wasn’t that bad. I just couldn’t make putts like the first day.” Yeah, tell me about it. Wind, pin positions, all that crap. Makes it tough. But still. A 64 is a 64.

Nerves, Mistakes, and Fading Hopes

Yealimi Noh. She held the lead. For how long? Long enough to feel the pressure. Battling nerves on Sunday. Scraped her way around the front nine. Her five-shot lead shrunk to one. Then she bogeys the 14th. Lost the lead. Needed a birdie on 18 to match Kuwaki. Her final attempt? Came up short. She admitted it hurt. Especially that missed short putt for par at 14. But she still found a silver lining. “I will be taking away a lot more than I thought I would be this week,” she said, wiping tears. “It stings just being one short, but very happy with the week.” She was losing motivation before this. So, yeah. A good week. But still a missed opportunity.

And Haeran Ryu? Going for her third major in a row. Had a four-shot lead on Saturday. Then Lytham happened. Entered Sunday trailing Noh by three. An early double bogey on the fifth sent her tumbling. She climbed back to within two on the back nine. But then? Bogey-bogey to finish. A three-over 74. Settled for T6. Another contender, another story of what could have been.

The Home Crowd Favorites: A Tale of Two Charges

Now, let’s talk about the players the crowd really wanted to see win. Lottie Woad and Charley Hull. These were the big “what ifs.” Woad was four shots back of Noh to start Sunday. Hull was one shot back. Ready to go. As Noh stumbled and Lytham chewed everyone up, the title was right there for the taking. For either of them.

Woad started okay, birdied the sixth. Looking good. Then comes the par-5 seventh. She makes a mess of it. Drops a shot. Misses a birdie putt at the eighth. Gets visibly irritated. Misses another par putt at the ninth. Swipes her putter through the air. You could see the major opportunity just… vanishing. No Sunday magic for Lottie Woad. Played the back nine even. Bogey at the 16th. The final nail. Pathetic, really.

And Charley Hull. Five major runner-up finishes. She’s been in the cauldron before. Emptied the tank at Riviera, only to be beaten by Korda. Last year, a furious run was derailed by two bad swings. She’d been here before. This felt like her moment. Benign conditions. Perfect setup. For Charley Hull to finally become a major champion.

Instead? She lost control. Double bogey at the third. Another double at the seventh after hitting her approach into a pot bunker. Birdies at nine and 11 brought her back to the periphery. But every birdie putt coming home? Veered away. The story of her charge? That tee shot on the short par-4 13th. Needed to make a move. Pulled driver. Hit it a bullet. Perfect strike. But… it landed on the front of the green, bounded across, and rolled into thick, dried-out rough. She left her pitch short. Two-putted for par. Her birdie putt just missed right. She pointed for it to go left. Shook her head. Another major, another near miss. She tried to give the crowd one last firework on the 18th. Closing birdie attempt missed. Book closed on another winless major season. Just scars.

The Unshakeable Feeling, Remembered

Hours after Korda, Hull, and Woad had left Royal Lytham, Esther Henseleit was still out there. Looking at nothing in particular. Her would-be signature major moment, evaporating. As Shiho Kuwaki rolled in that short putt and raised her arms. “I just can’t believe it,” Kuwaki said. And honestly, who could? That feeling… that disbelief, that regret, that sheer “how did this happen?” It was everywhere. But Kuwaki? She’s the only one who won’t be trying to forget why she felt that way. The rest of them? They’ll be trying to bury it. Until next time, anyway. Because that’s golf, isn’t it? Always another chance. Always another heartbreak. You can find more about the world of professional golf and upcoming events on the LPGA Tour website .