Ashleigh Buhai won the Women's Open in dramatic fashion to earn her first major title after beating Chun In-gee in a play-off at Muirfield.

The South African held a five-shot lead going into the final round on Sunday, but needed four extra holes to seal the biggest victory of her career after a closing four-over 75.

Buhai held a healthy lead despite being one-over for her round at the turn, but a nightmare triple bogey seven at the 15th dropped to 10 under and into a share of the lead with Chun - who shot a one-under 70.

Both players avoided bogeys in their remaining holes to set up a play-off, and Buhai looked as if she was going to be victorious after a brilliant second shot got her onto the green, while Chun's second stroke landed in the bunker.

But a sublime chip from Chun put her on the green and she successfully putted for par, while Buhai's putt for birdie and the championship went awry.

The two matched each other again on the second play-off hole with bogeys, while another long championship putt for the South African on the third extra hole went agonisingly left.

A poor tee shot from Chun on a fourth attempt at the 18th hole meant it was advantage Buhai, and the 33-year-old held her nerve despite a poor second stroke to better Chun's bogey with a par and secure her first major title in stunning circumstances.

Hinako Shibuno, who led heading into day two, carded a level-par final round to finish third on nine under, while Madelene Sagstrom bogeyed the 18th to drop to joint-fourth alongside Leona Maguire and world number two Minjee Lee.

Another poor round from Olympic gold medallist and world number three Nelly Korda meant she finished tied for 41st at four over, while former world number one Lydia Ko finished joint-seventh at five under.

Ashleigh Buhai was in superb form as the South African took the lead heading into the final round at the Women's Open.

Even though she trailed Chun In-gee heading into the weekend, Buhai was arguably the star on Friday with a brilliant 65, and the 33-year-old dazzled again at Muirfield.

Buhai carded a low score of 64 to take a six-shot lead at 14 under, with a bogey on the last the only blot on her scorecard, which included eight birdies.

Hinako Shibuno, who led heading into round two, propelled herself up to second place alongside Chun with a bogey free 66.

Chun holed costly bogeys on the ninth and 15th, yet regained her composure to finish with a birdie and a par, keeping her at nine under.

Madelene Sagstrom and Park Inbee are tied for fourth on seven under after respective rounds of 71 and 70, but will require a slip up from Buhai to truly be in contention on Sunday.

World number two Minjee Lee endured something of a mixed bag, with three bogeys and four birdies, and the Australian is T6, nine off the lead alongside Stephanie Kyriacou and Miyu Yamashita.

Nelly Korda had another difficult day, with the Olympic gold medallist and world number three sitting on three over for the tournament after carding 72.

Chun In-gee heads into the weekend with the lead at the Women's Open after a super round of 66 propelled her to the top of the leaderboard ahead of Ashleigh Buhai and Madelene Sagstrom who finished day two seven under.

Hinako Shibuno had led overnight but struggled on day two, plummeting down the standings after carding a two-over 73, now one of three players to sit four under par in a tie for seventh.

Chun was out in front at eight under following her 66, even if Buhai was perhaps the star of the day.

Her 65 included an eagle at the fifth, and she could even have been better placed, sitting a stroke back after failing to putt from 10 feet at the 17th and then finishing with a bogey at the last.

Buhai was alongside Sagstrom, who also shot a six-under round after eight birdies.

Jessica Korda, second overnight, saw her charge stumble with four consecutive bogeys on the back nine that saw her finish three over for the day, now two under for the week.

The cut was set at three over, and Anna Nordqvist became the third consecutive defending Women's Open champion to miss the cut after finishing at four over.

World number one Ko Jin-young also departed at the halfway stage, failing to recover from her opening 76 with an even-par round on day two.

Jessica Korda might have been wearing the wrong trousers, but the American strode purposefully into contention on day one of the Women's Open as former winner Hinako Shibuno led the way at Muirfield.

Korda's suitcase failed to make it to Scotland, meaning she has been borrowing clothes all week, but the 29-year-old from Florida shot a five-under 66 to ease her stress.

She could call on her sponsor to kit her out with emergency supplies on Thursday, but it has been a frustrating few days.

"On Monday I wore Megan Khang's pants. Tuesday, I wore my sister's pants and Wednesday I wore Alison Lee's pants," Korda said, quoted on the tournament website.

Playing for a top prize of $1,095,000 (£900,000) this week, Korda sat one shot behind 23-year-old Japanese star Shibuno, who marked her maiden major three years ago at Woburn by landing the Women's Open title.

It has not been all plain sailing since for Shibuno, who missed the cut at Troon when defending the title in 2020 and finished only 34th last year at Carnoustie, but a round of 65 containing eight birdies and two dropped shots was a terrific start to this week's quest.

Scotland's Louise Duncan, who finished 10th as an amateur at Carnoustie, joined the paid ranks last month and a sparkling 67 put her in a tie of third with Mexican Gaby Lopez.

Korda's sister, world number three Nelly Korda, sat in a tie for 13th on one under through 18 holes, while last year's winner Anna Nordqvist had a round to forget, a three-over 74 leaving the Swede with a battle to make the cut.

World number one Ko Jin-young had an even worse day, with a five-over 76 following her recent miserable tie for 71st at the Scottish Open.

This is the first time Muirfield has staged a women's major, with members having only voted to allow women to join the club five years ago.

Anna Nordqvist won the Women's Open to land her third major title after a dramatic twist on the famous 18th hole at Carnoustie.

The 34-year-old became the first Swedish golfer since Annika Sorenstam in 2003 to triumph at the tournament, and a par at the last was enough after playing partner and co-leader Nanna Koerstz Madsen finished with a double bogey.

Rather than coming unstuck as the latest victim of the Barry Burn, Madsen found a greenside bunker with her approach and shanked the escape, meaning the Dane was chipping onto the green with her fourth shot. Madsen finished with a double bogey, completing a miserable end to the tournament.

She had led at 13 under when teeing off at 15 but found sand there too and dropped a shot, before slipping from a share of the lead at the last to finish tied for fifth on 10 under, the anticipated play-off not required.

It meant Nordqvist's closing round of three-under-par 69, which took her to 12 under for the tournament, gave her the trophy glory and $870,000 top prize.

Second place on 11 under was shared by three players: Madelene Sagstrom (68), also of Sweden, American Lizette Salas (69) and Britain's Georgia Hall (67).

Sagstrom dropped a shot at 18 long before the drama unfolded with Madsen. Sagstrom was also at the centre of attention on the first hole when her tee shot was grabbed from the fairway and tossed around before being written off as inedible by the guilty party – a local bird.

Nordqvist's husband Kevin McAlpine is a caddie for Martin Laird on the PGA Tour and the couple's paths have rarely crossed in recent months, but he was on hand to witness his wife adding to her 2009 LPGA Championship and 2017 Evian Championship titles.

"I've been waiting for this for a while," said Nordqvist at the trophy presentation. "I haven't won in a couple of years. There have been a lot of downs, a lot of hard times. This makes it feel even sweeter.

"I definitely was wearing out my heartbeats there at the end. I think it's a great finish. The wind died down a little bit but it can play pretty brutal. I think it's been a key that I played those last four really well all week.

"I had my husband Kevin there for me every single year since Evian, since I won last time. I could only dream about winning the British Open.

"My husband's from 20 minutes away from here. I was supposed to get married 20 minutes away from here. So this place is truly special. I've never seen Carnoustie in this great of a shape. I love the fans being back, having an atmosphere, so thank you so much."

She said of her married life: "It's been a tough year for the both of us. We've been on different tours, so prior to Thursday I hadn't seen him for six and a half weeks due to my travel schedule.

"It was really nice to have him here. My caddie's Scottish too and they know a little about links golf so that's been a great experience to have."

The Smyth Salver for the leading amateur went to 21-year-old Louise Duncan, the Scot finishing on seven under after a level-par 72 to finish.

Hall went close to delivering a home champion and wrote on Twitter: "Gutted not to get the win but proud of how I played this week."

A superb third-round 65 saw Anna Nordqvist storm joint top of the leaderboard heading into the final round of the Women's Open.

The Swede shot the best score of the week on Saturday thanks to seven birdies, including at three of the last five holes, to move to nine under par for the championship alongside Norway's Nanna Koerstz Madsen.

Nordqvist, seeking her third major triumph, is even beginning to enjoy the inclement weather at Carnoustie as rain made for a sodden third round.

"I felt like I hit the ball really, really well last week in the hard wind at Dumbarnie in The Scottish Open," she said. "So, it's started to feel like it's come together.

"I feel like the last few weeks have been solid. I just haven't made as many putts or scored as well as I played.

"My caddie just told me to keep patient. In links golf you test your patience and I feel like I've had a great attitude this week.

"I love Carnoustie. I think it's a great venue and I'm just enjoying being back in Scotland."

Madsen is also at nine under after a third round of 68, with Lizette Salas a stroke further back.

There are four women at seven under par including Scottish amateur Louise Duncan, who carded a fine 68 to the delight of the home crowd.

World number one Nelly Korda and Georgia Hall, who held a share of the overnight lead, are at six under par.

Mina Harigae, who was level with Hall after Friday's play, shot a disappointing 76 on Saturday to fall six shots off the lead.

Golf lionheart Nelly Korda admits Olympic gold medal success probably will not fully sink in until the end of the season as she turns her focus towards Carnoustie and the Women's Open.

The 23-year-old American has risen to world number one, landed a first major title and now snatched Tokyo 2020 glory in what is proving a stellar year in her young career.

She completed a second successive round of 69 to polish off victory on Saturday at the Kasumigaski Country Club, finishing one clear of Japan's Mone Inami, who won a silver medal play-off, and New Zealand's Lydia Ko.

The demands at the pinnacle of professional golf are such that, though Korda spoke of an "amazing" feeling at being an Olympic champion, she is well aware of what lies ahead for her in the coming weeks.

And so rather than going away to celebrate, Korda will be heading for Scotland on another working trip.

"It's honestly crazy. You're constantly looking ahead for your next event," she said. "One event you finish, and then next it’s like the British or Scottish [Open].

"It never really gets to sink in, in a sense. I'll look back at the season after the season is done but right now there's a lot of big events coming up, but when I do look back it’s just crazy.

“I think every win is special in its own way. I wouldn't say one win is more special or one win is bigger. Each win has a significant meaning to me.

"Obviously this is a huge honour, and it’s amazing to be a gold medallist - to even just be an Olympian and represent your country. You have to be at the top of the top to come to the Games."

Korda's parents, former Czech tennis stars Regina Rajchrtova and Petr Korda, have suggested she possesses the hunger of a queen of the jungle.

Asked about the focus she needed to find in the final round, when a storm delay held up play for 49 minutes in the closing holes, Korda said: "My parents always say that I'm a lion because always since a young age I've always been super determined and super focused on what I want, so I feel it's built inside of me."

Sister Jessica has even suggested Korda already belongs in the "G.O.A.T." - greatest of all time - conversation. Jessica finished outside the medals in a tie for 15th but nobody beat her closing 64 on Saturday.

The Scottish Open begins on Thursday and Korda is not currently listed as competing in that tournament, but she will be in the Women's Open field, with the tournament beginning on August 19.

After winning the Women's PGA Championship and following up in style in Japan this week, Korda will test her game on the Scottish links when Carnoustie stages its second women's major.

Korda had a second-round 62, which was the lowest round of the week, and that paved the way for her Olympic success.

"Safe to say I really enjoyed my first Olympic experience," she said.