Miyu Yamashita turned 24 on Saturday, but the real celebration began a day later as she became the third Japanese golfer to win the Women’s Open, following in the footsteps of Ayako Okamoto and Hinako Shibuno. Holding a three-shot lead through the midway point of the tournament, Yamashita saw her advantage narrowed to a single shot going into the final day of action at Royal Porthcawl in the UK. A two-under round of 70, though, was enough to seal the victory.
Early in her final round, the Japanese player briefly shared the lead with Kim A-lim. However, the South Korean fell down the leaderboard following two consecutive bogeys. The biggest threat then came from Great Britain’s Charley Hull, who cut Yamashita’s lead to one shot with three holes to play. She carded an impressive three-under 69 but ultimately fell short after two bogeys on the 16th and 17th. Japan’s Minami Katsu birdied the 18th to share second place with Hull.
Miyu Yamashita Holds Her Nerve
Approaching the final hole, Yamashita knew a bogey would be enough to win the tournament. Despite hitting the rough with her first two shots, she held her nerve with a nice chip to the green, before tapping in for par to finish on 11-under, two shots ahead of Hull and Katsu. It secured Yamashita her first major trophy. Her previous best was tying for second at the 2024 Women’s PGA Championship.
“I’m so happy to have been able to achieve my goal of winning a major tournament,” said Yamashita. “It’s been a long journey. So many people have supported me. All the hard work I’ve put in has paid off.” She admitted to feeling the pressure but decided to stick to what she had been doing beforehand. “That helped me make some long par putts, and I was able to hang in there on the 15th and 16th holes,” she added.
Japan’s Golden Era
Yamashita is the fourth Japanese golfer to win an LPGA major title over the last two seasons. Yuka Saso became a U.S. Women’s Open champion for the second time after a delightful performance at Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Country Club in June 2024. The following month, Ayaka Furue lifted the Evian Championship trophy in France. That was her first major. There was also a maiden triumph for Mao Saigo earlier this year. She won the Chevron Championship in Texas.
