Yuri Yoshida claimed her maiden LPGA Tour victory at the BMW Ladies Championship on Sunday. The 26-year-old triumphed after a dramatic finish at Pine Beach Golf Links, finishing at 17-under par to edge out her closest competitors by a single stroke.
A Dramatic Comeback and Final-Hole Drama
Yoshida started the final round four shots behind the overnight leader, but quickly turned her fortunes around on the front nine. She carded an eagle at the par-five second hole, which was immediately followed by three consecutive birdies.
Despite dropping shots with bogeys on the 15th and 18th holes, Yoshida secured a crucial birdie on the 17th. That late gain provided her with the essential buffer she needed to seal the championship.
Overnight leader Haeran Ryu held a four-stroke advantage going into Sunday but struggled to find her rhythm, shooting a 73 to finish at 16-under par. Ryu rattled off 15 consecutive pars before dropping a costly shot on the par-four 16th hole, which erased her lead. Both players birdied the 17th, but a costly mistake by Ryu on the final hole handed the tournament to Yoshida, even though the Japanese golfer also bogeyed the last.
Chasing Pack and Upcoming Tournaments
Hye-Jin Choi remained in contention throughout the final round, posting four birdies and a single bogey to finish alongside Ryu at 16-under par. Choi continues her search for her first LPGA Tour victory in her 125th career start as a member, having now failed to convert five 54-hole leads or co-leads into wins. The result follows another runner-up finish last week in Shanghai, where she lost by one stroke to China’s Ruoning Yin after leading through the first three rounds.
Meanwhile, defending champion Sei Young Kim closed out her tournament with a round of 70 on Sunday, finishing at two-under par in a tie for 55th place.
The LPGA Tour continues its late-season Asian swing next week in Kuala Lumpur for the Maybank Championship, marking the third of four events in the region.
