Moa Svedenskiold thought she’d won the CSK Steel Women’s Open. Then, ten minutes into her celebration, a rules official handed her a two-stroke penalty for an illegal bunker stance, turning her apparent victory into a tie. It capped a playoff she’d only reached after clawing back from nine strokes off the lead heading into Round 4. Yet, she still walked away with the title. Here’s how it happened.

Svedenskiold finished the tournament five over and forced a playoff with Lena Geier and Beth Coulter. On the first extra hole, Geier was eliminated after she made a bogey. Coulter and Svedenskiold, meanwhile, made pars. On the second extra hole, Svedenskiold made par after getting up and down from thick rough near the greenside bunker. Coulter missed her par putt.

Coulter, believing the tournament was over, picked up her own ball without making the putt. Building a stance in a bunker unfairly improves a player’s footing, giving an advantage, which is why the ruling upgraded Svedenskiold’s score from par to double bogey on the hole.

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Coulter, too, was assessed a one-stroke penalty for not finishing her hole. She had to play her ball on the green again, where she tapped in for a double bogey. Both players, still absorbing the reversal, had to walk back out to the third hole. On the third extra hole, both made bogey.

Then, on the last extra hole, Svedenskiold made par to Coulter’s bogey, finally bringing the tournament to its due end. It was an overall good day for Svedenskiold, who won her second LET Access Series (LETAS) title in seven weeks. Her maiden title had come at the Ladies German Challenge, her third start as a pro.

“It’s been a long day, so I’m exhausted… The ball was outside and the rough. I took my stance, I hit the shot and made par. Beth missed her putt for par and I thought I won,” Svedenskiold explained per the Ladies European Tour. She will make her LET debut at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open.

Coming back from nine strokes behind, it’s the biggest comeback win on the LETAS in 2026.

“I’m just really looking forward to that [gaining exemption] and obviously trying to gain as much experience as I can,” she said.

Last-minute penalties have derailed wins before: South Korea’s Sun-Ju Ahn lost two strokes for an identical bunker-stance violation at the 2014 Ricoh Women’s British Open, Arpichaya Yubol was docked a shot for slow play at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, and Chris Hanson was disqualified for an illegal drop on the 2020 Pro Tour in 2022.

The record Beth Coulter could have made

Beth Coulter turned pro last month and played her first pro tournament at the Women’s Irish Challenge last week. To no one’s surprise, given her talent and skills, Coulter won that event. The CSK Steel Women’s Open was her second professional tournament, where she had a chance to become the first women’s golfer to win her first two professional events.

She led the field until the 15th hole, where she made a double bogey. That big number threw her rhythm off, pushing her into a tie for the lead. She didn’t really gain an upper hand after that.

Never mind the disappointment. After her runner-up finish, Coulter climbed from 14th to fifth in the Order of Merit race. Only the top seven pros earn a Ladies European Tour (LET) card.

There are still eight events left on the Access Series and plenty of chances for Coulter to recover from the heartbreak. On the other hand, she is only behind Svedenskiold in the Rookie of the Year standings and is very likely to earn her full LET card for the next season. She will just need to continue performing the same as she has until now.