Washington (United States) (AFP) – Miyu Yamashita birdied the first playoff hole to beat Lottie Woad in a duel of rising stars at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan, on Sunday. Japan’s Yamashita, who won the Women’s British Open and the Maybank Championship in her 2025 Rookie of the Year campaign, conjured nine birdies in an eight-under par 64, erasing a five-point overnight deficit and winning after Woad faltered with a three-putt bogey at the 72nd hole.
They had traded or shared the lead for much of the afternoon, but Woad was in command when she holed out from a greenside bunker for birdie and a two-shot lead at the 17th. Ahead of her, Yamashita birdied 18 to cut the deficit to one and Woad couldn’t hang on. Her short par putt to win lipped out and she signed for a four-under 68 that left her tied with Yamashita on 17-under 271. They returned to the par-five 18th for the playoff, with Yamashita rolling in her four-foot birdie putt after Woad had missed her longer birdie attempt.
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The victory was a reward for a stellar round from Yamashita, who had eight birdies before her lone bogey of the day, a three-putt at the par-three 15th. “I had like a score gap with the top (players), but this week I had a really good feeling, so I’m really happy to win,” the 24-year-old Yamashita, ranked eighth in the world, said.
England’s Woad, who captured her maiden win in Scotland in her pro debut last year and added a second LPGA title at the Queen City Championship in Ohio last month, said she’d try to shake off the disappointment and refocus on capturing a first major title at the Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine next week. “Hopefully next week is my week instead,” said the 22-year-old from Surrey, who admitted that with a chance to do it over, she might have played the final hole of regulation differently.
“I mean, I would always go for it in two, but kind of wishing I didn’t now,” said Woad, who ended up three-putting from 50 feet. Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-Ling and China’s Liu Yan shared third, both carding five-under par 67s to land on 15-under 273. Australian Cassi Porter and South Korean Kang Min-ji shared fifth on 274, a stroke in front of a group that included American overnight leader Jing Yan, who carded a one-over 73.
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