Shiho Kuwaki had only been in two playoffs as a pro golfer before her showdown with Esther Henseleit at the Women’s British Open on Sunday — and she lost both of them.

But the third time was the charm for the 23-year-old from Okayama Prefecture, who beat Henseleit on the second playoff hole to capture her first major title and her first LPGA Tour victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes in Lancashire, England.

“I’ve always struggled with match play, and because I did not have any experience of winning, I did not know what it was going to take to win this time,” she said at the Japan National Press Club on Wednesday.