Japan’s Miyu Yamashita sealed a second career title in only her first full year on Tour after victory at the Maybank Championship on Sunday.
In a three-way playoff against the weekend leader Hye-Jin Choi and Australia’s Hannah Green, Yamashita triumphed with a birdie on the first hole to seal victory for the second time on the LPGA Tour since her maiden major win in August’s AIG Women’s Open.
In the final round at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course, Yamashita equaled the day’s lowest round of 65 to make her way up the leaderboard. South Korea’s Choi held the overnight lead with a four-shot advantage, but she struggled to take advantage of key putts to increase her lead as Yamashita quickly closed in. Green fired through the round to match the top pair with seven birdies and three bogeys to bring her into contention. She entered the play-off after a critical birdie at the last which saw Choi and Green only manage pars at the first extra hole, cementing their Japanese counterpart with the win thanks to a birdie.
Tension on the congested leaderboard was heightened after rain caused an hour-long delay before the leaders could make the turn onto the back nine. The final play-off was also delayed for over 30 minutes.
Yamashita’s win adds her to the small list of players who have won twice on the LPGA Tour in 2025.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul ended the streak of unique winners with a second win in September and she seemed close to leaving with the Maybank Championship title and a third victory in 2025 after an opening birdie streak in the final round. But she had to settle for a share of fourth alongside China’s Liu Yan, Japan’s Akie Iwai, and South Korean pair A Lim Kim and Kim Sei-Young, one shot adrift of the leading trio. Defending champion Yin Ruoning of China finished four shots behind in 12th on 14 under.
What is the next event?
The next event on the LPGA Tour is the TOTO Japan Classic taking place between 6-9 November at Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan.