Yamashita Claims Maybank Championship in Playoff for Second LPGA Title
Women’s British Open winner Miyu Yamashita captured the LPGA’s Maybank Championship in a three-way playoff Sunday, securing her second career title in what’s been a remarkable first full year on tour.
The 24-year-old Japanese star clinched victory with a birdie on the first playoff hole, outdueling three-round leader Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea and Australia’s Hannah Green, who both made pars. It’s another impressive trophy to pair with her maiden major triumph at the British Open in August.
Yamashita fired the day’s equal-lowest round of 65 to surge up a packed leaderboard, finishing at 18-under 270 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course. Her aggressive play and clutch putting proved the difference on a day when many contenders faltered.
Choi, who began the final round with a comfortable four-stroke advantage, couldn’t convert key putts as her lead gradually evaporated. It’s a familiar heartbreak for the 26-year-old, who now has an impressive 29 career top-10 finishes but still awaits her breakthrough win. This marks the third time she’s led a tournament heading into the final round only to finish runner-up.
Green, fresh off helping Australia win the International Crown last weekend, posted a rollercoaster 68 that included seven birdies and three bogeys. Her clutch birdie at the 18th earned her a spot in the playoff alongside Choi and Yamashita.
The final round wasn’t short on drama. An hour-long rain delay after the leaders made the turn added tension to an already tight contest. When play resumed, Choi fought her way back into contention with a critical birdie at the par-4 16th that barely dropped in. After Green joined the playoff picture, another rain shower pushed back the playoff by more than 30 minutes.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (68) finished just one shot out of the playoff at 17-under, tied for fourth with China’s Liu Yan (65), Japan’s Akie Iwai (67), and South Korean pair A Lim Kim (68) and Kim Sei-Young (66). Thitikul, a runner-up in Malaysia the past two years, saw her chances slip away with a costly bogey on the 16th.
Defending champion Yin Ruoning shot 70 for a 12th-place finish at 14-under 274, while Brooke Henderson also posted a 70 to finish tied for 27th.
The LPGA concludes its five-week Asian swing next week with the Japan Classic at Shiga, where Yamashita will look to continue her remarkable run in front of a home crowd.
