Japan’s Miyu Yamashita poses with the Tiger Head trophy, symbolising Maybank’s logo, after winning the Maybank Championship 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
KUALA LUMPUR: Japan's Miyu Yamashita is living a dream. She is a rookie in the prestigious LPGA Tour, but she is also a Major winner, and now the Maybank Championship is also under her belt.
And not many can come close to this young rising star of the Japanese golf scene in terms of achievement. Already a two-time winner in the Tour, the 24-year-old golfer also has 13 titles to her name in the Japan Tour.
On Sunday (Nov 2), Women's British Open winner Miyu won the LPGA's Maybank Championship in a three-way playoff Sunday for her second career title in only her first full year on the tour.
The 24-year-old golfer sealed victory with a birdie on the first playoff hole, while three-round leader Choi Hye-Jin of South Korea and Australia’s Hannah Green could only manage pars. The win adds the Maybank title to Yamashita’s maiden major triumph in August.
"This is just unbelievable. At the start of the day, I just wanted to go out and play my best game. My putting was really good today, and then the birdies came, and that really helped," said the excited Miyu.
"There were times I was really nervous. But I just told myself to go out there and play good, calm golf in the play-off. That birdie, I will never forget that.
"It was an amazing way to win. But much good wishes to both Hannah (Green) and Choi (Hye-Jin). They are fantastic players and would have been great winners too."
The Japanese player carded the day's equal lowest round of 65 to swiftly climb up a congested leaderboard to 18-under 270 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course.
Choi, who began the final round with a four-stroke lead, struggled to convert key putts as her advantage slipped away.
The 26-year-old Choi now has 29 career top-10 finishes, but is yet to find her breakthrough win on the tour. It's also the third time she has led a tournament heading into the final round and finished runner-up.
Green, a member of the winning Australia team at the International Crown last weekend, shot a streaky 68 - with seven birdies and three bogies - which included a nerveless birdie at the last to join Choi and Yamashita in the playoff.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (68), China’s Liu Yan (65), Akie Iwai (67) of Japan and the South Korean pair A Lim Kim (68) and Kim Sei-Young (66) were all tied for fourth-place at 17 under, one shot behind the leading trio.
Thitikul, a runner-up in Malaysia the last two years, had a bogey on the 16th that ended the Thai player’s late charge for a breakthrough win in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier, an hour-long delay because of rain after the leaders had made the turn added to the tension on a congested leaderboard. When play resumed, Choi found her way back into contention with a clutch birdie at the par-4 16th that had just enough pace to drop in.
Green then joined Choi and Yamashita in the playoff before another rain shower delayed the playoff for more than 30 minutes.
Defending champion Yin Ruoningshot 70 for a 12th-place finish at 14-under 274, four strokes behind.
Brooke Henderson also shot 70 and was tied for 27th.
Next week, the LPGA ends its five-week Asian swing with the Japan Classic at Shiga.
