Yuri Yoshida Wins First LPGA Title After Four Shot Comeback in South Korea

A fast start and a tense finish in Haenam

Yuri Yoshida turned a four stroke deficit into her first LPGA Tour victory at the BMW Ladies Championship on October 25, 2026, finishing at 17 under par with a total of 271 at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Korea. The Japanese golfer earned $352,500 after holding off South Korean players Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi by one stroke.

Yoshida, 26, won in her 74th tour start. She hit every fairway in the final round, raced through the opening nine holes in 31 strokes and survived a bogey on the last hole when Ryu also dropped a shot. Choi finished alongside Ryu at 16 under par, with both recording totals of 272.

Yoshida's closing round was recorded as four under par, 68, although a score of 67 was also reported. Her scoring sequence of one eagle, four birdies and two bogeys adds up to 68 on the course's par of 72. In golf, the lowest total wins, so her 271 strokes across four rounds left her just ahead of the two closest challengers.

The victory followed a difficult stretch earlier in the season and a recent rise in form. Yoshida had missed six consecutive cuts before finishing second at the CPKC Women's Open in August. She arrived in South Korea after tying for 10th in Shanghai the previous week.

Yoshida, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2024, described both the nerves and the happiness of becoming a tour champion.

It's a special moment for me, and actually, I was nervous. But at this moment, I'm really happy.

How Yoshida erased the deficit

Yoshida began the final round tied for second, four strokes behind Ryu. Catching the leader required her to make gains quickly, and the second hole supplied the first major opening. She chipped in for an eagle on the par five, completing the hole in three strokes rather than the expected five.

Another chip into the hole at the fifth began a run of three consecutive birdies through the seventh. A birdie means finishing a hole one stroke below par. Together, the eagle and those three birdies took five strokes off par in the opening seven holes.

Yoshida reached the turn, the halfway point of the round, at five under par for the day. That moved her tournament score from 13 under to 18 under, overtaking Ryu, who had started at 17 under and was making pars.

Yoshida said her early attack followed a clear target: close the gap before the second half of the round. The new champion explained what she had hoped to achieve.

It's a dream come true. I was four shots behind, so I thought the key was to catch the leader by the front nine. I got off to a good start and was able to do that. I want to continue winning.

Three closing holes settled the title

Ryu, ranked third in the world, made 15 consecutive pars to begin her final round. Her score stayed at 17 under while Yoshida moved ahead, then fell back alongside her with a bogey at the 15th.

Ryu dropped a shot at the par four 16th, restoring Yoshida's advantage. Both players birdied the 17th, leaving Yoshida at 18 under and Ryu at 17 under as they approached the last hole.

Yoshida then needed three putts on the 18th green and finished with a bogey. Ryu also bogeyed the hole, closing with a 73 and leaving the margin unchanged. Choi could not find the final birdie she needed to draw level with Yoshida.

The winning round was five strokes better than Ryu's 73. That difference explains the comeback: Yoshida began four behind and finished one ahead. Her birdie at the 17th gave her enough room to absorb the mistake at the last.

Accuracy mattered on a wet coastal course

Pine Beach Golf Links presented a demanding setting throughout the week. Heavy rain and wind left the course wet, and players described getting little roll after their drives landed. Tight, sloping fairways, with trees guarding some holes, added to the need for careful placement.

Yoshida hit every fairway on Sunday and missed only seven throughout the tournament. Keeping drives on the closely cut grass gave her repeated opportunities to approach the greens from a more predictable position.

Her average distance off the tee during the week was 220 yards, compared with a season average of 256 yards with her driver. The difference was 36 yards, or about 14 percent. With little help from the ground after landing, players faced longer remaining shots than they might expect in drier conditions.

Yoshida combined that accuracy with decisive shots around the greens. Her early chip shots helped build the lead, while her steady driving kept her in contention through a closing stretch in which a single stroke separated victory from a tie.

Another narrow disappointment for Choi

Choi stayed close with four birdies and one bogey in a final round of 69. She finished one stroke behind the winner for the second consecutive week, having also been runner up to China's Ruoning Yin in Shanghai.

In Shanghai, Choi had led after each of the first three rounds before Yin won. Her record now includes 125 LPGA Tour starts as a member without a victory, as well as five occasions when she held or shared the lead after 54 holes without converting it into a win.

South Korean players filled the next four places behind Yoshida. Ryu and Choi shared second at 16 under, while Hyo Joo Kim and Minsol Kim tied for fourth at 15 under. Minsol closed with a 67 and Hyo Joo with a 68.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim finished tied for 55th at two under par, 286, after a closing 70. Her title defence ended 15 strokes behind Yoshida.

A breakthrough built on a late season recovery

Yoshida's first two LPGA seasons each produced one finish inside the top 10. Her recent results represent a stronger run: second at the CPKC Women's Open, tied for 10th in Shanghai and now a victory in South Korea.

The change is especially sharp because the Canadian result came immediately after six missed cuts. A cut reduces the field during a tournament, so missing it means a player does not advance to the remaining rounds. Yoshida went from repeatedly leaving events early to challenging for trophies.

The BMW Ladies Championship had a field of 84 and a prize fund of $2.35 million. Yoshida's $352,500 award accounted for 15 percent of that purse and brought her career earnings to $1,591,573. The victory payment alone represented about 22 percent of that updated career total.

Ryu and Choi each earned $183,024 for sharing second, putting Yoshida's winner's payment $169,476 above either runner up. Along with the trophy, the result supplied a substantial financial reward for her strongest week on tour.

Japan's results extended beyond the winner

Yoshida became the 27th Japanese player to win on the LPGA Tour and the fourth Japanese winner of the season, following Miyu Yamashita, Shiho Kuwaki and Yuna Nishimura. She was also the season's fourth player to claim a first LPGA title, joining Nishimura among the Japanese golfers reaching that milestone.

Nasa Hataoka shot a 66 to tie for sixth at 14 under, three strokes behind Yoshida, and earned $63,302. Akie Iwai and Chisato Iwai both finished tied for 15th at 11 under, receiving $28,689 each.

Erika Hara recorded the day's best score, a 65, to finish tied for 41st at five under and earn $11,150. Rio Takeda tied for 49th at three under and received $8,072. Ayaka Furue and Minami Katsu both tied for 74th at three over, earning $4,388 each.

Japan also celebrated a men's victory in South Korea on October 25. Yuto Katsuragawa won the DP World Tour's Genesis Championship at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club by two strokes. His closing 71 secured his second title on that tour.

From Canada to Korea, then on to Malaysia

Yoshida's route to the trophy stretched across several months, with her recovery becoming visible in Canada before continuing through the LPGA's Asian events.

• Late August 2026: Yoshida finished second at the CPKC Women's Open after six consecutive missed cuts.
• The week before the BMW Ladies Championship: She tied for 10th at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, where Choi finished second to Ruoning Yin.
• October 25, 2026: Yoshida overturned Ryu's four stroke lead to win in Haenam at 17 under par.
• The following week: The LPGA Tour was scheduled to move to Kuala Lumpur for the Maybank Championship.

The Maybank Championship was next on the schedule, followed by an event in Japan and then the final two tournaments of the season in Florida. Yoshida would continue that stretch with her first LPGA trophy secured and a stated ambition to keep winning.

Key Points

• Yuri Yoshida won her first LPGA Tour title in her 74th start, finishing at 17 under par, 271.
• She overcame a four stroke deficit and beat Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi by one stroke.
• A front nine of 31 and a birdie at the 17th were central to her victory.
• Yoshida hit every fairway in the final round despite wet and windy conditions during the week.
• She earned $352,500, taking her career earnings to $1,591,573.
• The LPGA Tour's next scheduled stop was the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur.