Esther Henseleit

Esther Henseleit was runner-up at the 2026 AIG Women's Open, losing a tense two-hole play-off to Shiho Kuwaki.

The German drained a dramatic, monster birdie putt on the 72nd hole [below] to force the extra holes, though she was unable to see it through.

Her finish at Royal Lytham & St Annes still represents her best return in a major, bettering two seventh-places finishes she achieved in 2024 – the same year she won silver at the Paris Olympics.

Esther won the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit and the Rookie of the Year award in 2019 – at the time, becoming only the third golfer to win both awards in the same year after Laura Davies in 1985 and Carlota Ciganda in 2012. It is a feat that has since been matched by Jeeno Thitikul (2021), Linn Grant (2022), Trichat Cheenglab (2023) and Chiara Tamburlini (2024).

She represented Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup in 2017 and was then runner-up at the European Amateur Championship, just one stroke behind Spain’s Celia Barquín.

Four second-place finishes on the Ladies European Tour were followed by her maiden victory at the Magical Kenya Open, and she made a successful defence in February 2022, after the tournament was not played in 2020 or 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.