Yoshida Wins First LPGA Title in South Korea

• Suggested slug: yuri-yoshida-maiden-lpga-title-south-korea
• Category: Sports
• Focus keyphrase: Yuri Yoshida LPGA title
• SEO title: Yoshida Wins First LPGA Title in South Korea
• Meta description: Japan’s Yuri Yoshida, 26, shot a final-round 68 to win her first LPGA title by one shot at Pine Beach Golf Links in South Korea on Sunday.
• Tags: Yuri Yoshida, LPGA, golf, Ladies Championship, Pine Beach, Ryu Hae-ran, Choi Hye-jin, Japan golf
• Original element: explainer context: the final-round comeback from four shots back, the closing-hole drama, and Choi Hye-jin’s second straight one-shot runner-up finish after Shanghai
• Sources: Geo Super / AFP (https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/60739-yuri-yoshida-claims-maiden-lpga-title-with-one-shot-victory-in-south-korea)
• Date: Sunday, 25 October 2026

Japan’s Yuri Yoshida captured her first LPGA Tour title on Sunday with a nervy one-shot victory at the Ladies Championship in South Korea.

The 26-year-old, who joined the tour in 2024, finished at 17-under with a group of home players just behind her and was doused in champagne after sealing a career-changing victory.

A comeback from four shots back

Yoshida started the day four shots off the pace but made a fast start to her final round with an eagle and three birdies in her first seven holes at Pine Beach Golf Links.

That burst put her in the contest early. A player four shots back at the start of a final round usually needs both a hot start and help from the leader, and Yoshida supplied the first half herself before the closing holes supplied the second.

Perhaps sensing a maiden LPGA victory, Yoshida stumbled with a bogey at the 15th, birdied the 17th and then bogeyed the final hole. Her final-round four-under-par 68 was still enough, because overnight leader Ryu Hae-ran also dropped a shot at the 18th.

Home players Choi Hye-jin and Ryu were tied second on 16-under, with fellow South Koreans Kim Min-sol and Kim Hyo-joo another shot back. Four of the top five finishers were South Korean, which underlines how much of a road win this was for Yoshida. She beat the home favourites on their own soil, in front of crowds that had every reason to cheer for the players chasing her.

The arithmetic of her round shows where the tournament was won. An eagle and three birdies in her first seven holes put her five under for that stretch alone. The bogey at the 15th gave one shot back, the birdie at the 17th restored it, and the bogey at the last cost one more. A four-under 68, built on that fast start, was enough because the overnight leader could not hold her own closing hole either.

More heartbreak for Choi

It was more agonising disappointment for Choi, whose wait for a first LPGA win goes on. She was also runner-up by one stroke last week in Shanghai, on that occasion behind home player Yin Ruoning.

Two weeks, two one-shot defeats, two different winners: that is the thin margin at the top of the women’s game right now. Choi has now finished second in consecutive events without winning either, a run that will test any player’s patience even as it confirms her form.

For Yoshida, the win changes her standing on tour. A first title in only her second full season on the LPGA Tour gives her a winner’s status that reshapes her schedule, her exemptions and her place in fields that were previously out of reach. Players remember their first win for exactly that reason: it is not just a trophy, it is access.

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Frequently asked questions

Who won the Ladies Championship in South Korea?

Japan’s Yuri Yoshida, 26, won her first LPGA Tour title with a final-round 68 to finish at 17-under.

Who finished second?

South Koreans Choi Hye-jin and Ryu Hae-ran tied second on 16-under, one shot behind Yoshida.

Where was the tournament played?

Pine Beach Golf Links in South Korea.

What happened on the final hole?

Yoshida bogeyed the 18th, but overnight leader Ryu Hae-ran also dropped a shot there, so Yoshida held on to win by one stroke.