Yuri Yoshida Wins BMW Ladies Championship in Korea for Her First LPGA Tour Victory

• Yuri Yoshida won the BMW Ladies Championship one stroke clear of the field.
• Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi tied for second at 16-under 272.
• Yoshida closed with a 68 after starting the final round four shots behind Ryu.

Yuri Yoshida won her first LPGA Tour title at the BMW Ladies Championship on Sunday, coming from four shots back to beat Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi by a stroke at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam.

The 26-year-old from Japan finished at 17-under 271 after a closing 68. The tournament came down to the 18th, where Yoshida and overnight leader Ryu both made bogey. Yoshida had a one-shot lead on the tee, so her bogey was enough.

“It’s a special moment for me, and actually, I was nervous. But at this moment, I’m really happy,” said Yoshida.

How did Yoshida win it?

Yoshida made eagle at the par-5 2nd, followed it with three birdies in a row and turned in a bogey-free 5-under 31.

The back nine was harder going. She bogeyed the 15th, birdied the 17th and dropped another shot at the last, and that birdie at the 17th turned out to be the one that decided the tournament. Her card showed an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys, and she hit every fairway on Sunday.

She was one of only two players to break 70 in all four rounds, going 66-69-68-68. She shared the first-round lead with Karis Davidson on Thursday, slipped back with a 69 on Friday and was tied for second after a third-round 68.

The win follows a near-miss in August, when she finished runner-up to compatriot Miyu Yamashita at the CPKC Women’s Open in Edmonton.

Yoshida is the fourth Rolex First-Time winner of the season, after Gina Kim, Yana Wilson and Yuna Nishimura, and the second from Japan after Nishimura. She is the first Japanese player to win the BMW Ladies Championship and the first player to make it her maiden LPGA Tour victory.

Ryu’s lead slips away

Ryu went into Sunday four clear and with a strong record from in front. This was the eighth time she had held or shared a 54-hole lead, and she had converted each of the previous three. A win would have been her third of the season, after back-to-back majors at the KPMG Women’s PGA and the Evian Championship, and her first at a tour event in South Korea.

She made 15 straight pars and her only birdie and both bogeys came over the final three holes. The closing 73 was her only round of the week outside the 60s, and it left her at 16-under.

She still had the best ball-striking numbers in the field. She hit 66 of 72 greens in regulation, the most of anyone, and her three bogeys tied for the fewest. She had hit 52 of 54 greens through three rounds, putting her in range of Nina Reis’s LPGA Tour 72-hole record of 68 of 72. Sunday’s 14 greens left her two short.

Another runner-up finish for Choi

Hye-Jin Choi finished second for the second week running. She started Sunday in a share of second, stayed in contention all day and shot a 69 with four birdies and one bogey. She was bogey-free over her last 15 holes and finished tied with Ryu at 16-under.

Last week in Shanghai, the South Korean led after each of the first three rounds and lost by a stroke to Ruoning Yin. She is still looking for her first win in 125 career LPGA Tour starts as a member, and she has held or shared the 54-hole lead five times without converting.

She finished the week in the top 10 for birdies, with 21, and for greens in regulation, hitting 62 of 72.

Further down the leaderboard

Hyo Joo Kim finished tied fourth at 15-under.

“Honestly, when I play here in Korea, having so many fans come out and support me gives me a tremendous amount of energy. I think that’s why I’m able to look a little more upbeat out there and put up better results,” said Kim.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim ended a five-year victory drought here in 2025. She closed with a 70 to finish at 2-under 286, tied for 55th.

The LPGA Tour’s Asian swing moves to Kuala Lumpur next week for the Maybank Championship, the third of its four events.

Related: Yuto Katsuragawa Wins in Korea From 106th in the Race to Dubai

He came to Cheonan outside the card line and leaves with his second DP World Tour title and a ticket to both Play-Off events.

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BMW Ladies Championship Leaderboard