Miyu Yamashita, a 24-year-old rookie from Japan, etched her name into golf history by winning the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl, securing her first major championship and first LPGA Tour victory. The triumph, which came a day after her birthday, saw Yamashita finish at 11-under 277, two shots clear of England’s Charley Hull and compatriot Minami Katsu, in front of a record-breaking crowd of nearly 50,000, the largest women’s sporting event ever held in Wales.
Yamashita, ranked No. 15 in the world and relatively unknown to global audiences despite 13 wins on the LPGA of Japan Tour, showcased remarkable composure in blustery conditions. She carded a final-round 2-under 70, making just one bogey on the 17th, and leaned on her world-class scrambling and precise iron play.
Her performance was highlighted by clutch par putts, including an 18-footer on the 13th quickly followed by an 8-footer, which kept Hull’s late charge at bay.
Starting the final round with a one-shot lead after a shaky third-round 74, Yamashita faced intense pressure from Hull, who drew within one stroke with a birdie on the 14th. But Hull’s hopes faded with back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th, including a costly pot bunker visit on the 16th, finishing with a 69 to tie for second at 9-under. Katsu’s closing birdie on the 18th secured her share of second with a 69.
“This was a goal of mine from a very young age to win a major championship, and to be able to do it is very special,” Yamashita said through an interpreter, tears in her eyes as she raised the trophy. “To win such a historic tournament in front of all these amazing fans is an incredible feeling.”
Yamashita’s victory, which earned her $1.462 million—the largest winner’s purse in the event’s history, also marked her as the 21st different LPGA winner in 2025, extending a season of unprecedented parity.
Yamashita’s journey to this moment was anything but ordinary. A dominant force on the JLPGA since turning pro in 2020, she won five titles in 2022 and became the youngest Mercedes Ranking winner, also earning the tour’s money title. After securing her LPGA Tour card via Q-Series in 2024, her rookie season included six top-10s, with a T2 at the 2024 Women’s PGA Championship as her best major finish until now.
The win makes Yamashita the third Japanese player to claim the AIG Women’s Open, following Ayako Okamoto (1984) and Hinako Shibuno (2019), and the fourth Japanese major winner in the last two years, joining Mao Saigo, Yuka Saso, and Ayaka Furue.
“To have so many Japanese players doing so well at the moment is something that keeps me going,” Yamashita said, crediting the success of her compatriots for pushing her forward.
Behind the leaders, England’s Lottie Woad, fresh off her Women’s Scottish Open win in her pro debut, tied for eighth with a 71, while Stanford’s Paula Martin Sampedro stole headlines with a back-nine 30, including five straight birdies, to finish T8 and claim the Smyth Salver as low amateur. Nelly Korda’s final-round 75 saw her tie for 36th, projected to lose her No. 1 world ranking to Jeeno Thitikul.
AIG Women’s Open Championship 2025
Final Leaderboard: Top 10
Pos-Player-Score (Final Rd)
1. Miyu Yamashita -11 (-2)
2. Charley Hull -9 (-3)
2. Minami Katsu -9 (-3)
4. Rio Takeda -7 (-1)
4. A Lim Kim -7 (+1)
6. Wei-Ling Hsu -6 (-2)
6. Megan Khang -6 (E)
8. Paula Martin Sampedro -4 (-4)
8. Stephanie Kyriacou -4 (-1)
8. Lottie Woad -4 (-1)
