Yuri Yoshida won the BMW Ladies Championship holding off Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi in a close finish at Pine Beach Golf Links on Sunday.
It was Yoshida’s first LPGA Tour victory and came in dramatic finale as both overnight leader Ryu and Yoshida bogeyed the final hole leaving the Japanese player ahead by one stroke at 17-under after four rounds.
Yoshida was four shots off the pace going into Sunday’s final round but lit up the front nine with an eagle at the par-5 second, followed by three consecutive birdies.
Bogeys at the 15th and 18th was offset by a crucial birdie at the 17th which gave the 26-year-old the buffer she needed.
Ryu led the tournament by four strokes going into the final round, but couldn’t find the same rhythm on Sunday as she shot a 73 to finish at 16-under.
The South Korean made 15 consecutive pars before dropping a crucial shot at the par-4 16th which handed back Yoshida’s one-shot advantage.
Both player’s made birdies at the 17th, but a costly miss for Ryu at 18 allowed Yoshida to clinch it, despite the Japanese golfer also making bogey.
Hye-Jin Choi, who was in a tie for second coming in the final round, stayed in contention throughout Sunday and mixed four birdies with a lone bogey to finish at 16-under, and a shot behind Yoshida in a tie for second with Ryu.
Choi is still looking for her first victory in 125 career LPGA Tour starts as a member. She has held or shared a 54-hole lead five times in her LPGA career without converting it into a win.
Last week in Shanghai, Choi was runner-up by one stroke to China’s Ruoning Yin after the South Korean golfer led after each of the first three rounds.
Defending champion Sei Young Kim, who ended a five-year victory drought in 2025 with a win last year in South Korea, shot 70 on Sunday and finished at 2-under and in a tie for 55th.
In its late-season Asian swing, the LPGA Tour moves to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week for the Maybank Championship, the third of four events.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
