Welcome to this week’s Golf Insider, everyone! If you’re still recovering from the U.S. Women’s Open, that’s fine; I am too. Watching the men’s U.S. Open this past week at Shinnecock Hills has given me flashbacks and goosebumps. The way the USGA sets up these courses truly showcases the best players in the game.
But also during this time, one of the LPGA’s young stars was busy capturing another LPGA Tour title. On Sunday, June 21, Miyu Yamashita defeated Lottie Woad on the first playoff hole at Blythefield Country Club to win the 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic. Or “Meijer’s,” if you’re so Midwestern-ly inclined.
Going into the final round of the tournament, Yamashita was five shots back of the leader, not even sniffing the leaders or the final grouping. But a final-round 64 (-8), a round that was tied for low round of the week, vaulted her up the leaderboard to 17-under-par.
Yamashita loves the chase. She came right out of the gate on Sunday with birdies on four of her first five holes, and suddenly, a chance to win was in sight. When she birdied three of her first four holes on the back nine, Yamashita was one step closer. Despite a putter blunder on No. 15, she was surging.
But Lottie Woad, playing in the final pairing, seemed to have the upper hand. The ball was in her court, and all she had to do was finish the job. Woad holed out from the greenside bunker on the par-4 17th for a one-shot lead, and a closing par 5 would be the perfect end to a solid Sunday showing.
Instead, the unthinkable. A three-putt bogey on No. 18 made Woad drop a shot into a tie with Yamashita. We were heading to a playoff. And in that playoff — a revisit to the par-5 18th, the hole she birdied three out of four rounds — Yamashita capitalized. She watched Woad roll her birdie putt past the hole, and she confidently drained hers.
“My putting was solid today and I was able to put together a really good round,” Yamashita said in a post-win press conference.
This was the third win on the LPGA Tour for the 2025 Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year. It’s also her second playoff victory; she won the 2025 Maybank Championship in a playoff over Hannah Green and Hye-Jin Choi.
Yamashita is the defending AIG Women’s Open champion, so she’s heating up at just the right time heading into the next major of the year, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. If Yamashita can get another major under her belt at just 24 years old, she has to be in the conversation for earning the career grand slam.
On the flip side, for Woad, this playoff loss is certainly not the end of the world. She missed her par putt on the 72nd hole not because of a misread or bad stroke, but because it lipped out. Half of the time, that’s sheer bad luck. Woad isn’t going to lose much sleep over it.
“Made a lot of clutch putts this week, so I’m going to try and shake off this missed one. Yeah, just hopefully next week is my week instead,” Woad said in a post-round interview on June 21.
The best way I can describe Woad’s mindset is “unbothered.” You’d never know if she was playing well or playing poorly, and I think players with that attitude are primed for success. Woad can use this loss as fuel heading into the KPMG.
But both Woad and Yamashita are going up against quite the field at this week’s major. The 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship kicks off from June 25-28 with Hazeltine National Golf Club as its stage for the second time.
Course superintendent Chris Tritabaugh and his family have been preparing the Chaska, Minn. track since Labor Day of last year. He says he and his team were very intentional with how early they started to ready the course for this major championship, given that Hazeltine had a rough winter.
Hazeltine is a par-72 track that’ll play about 6,700 yards this week, give or take. Host to the 2016 Ryder Cup, 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship, it’s known for its demand for precision, as many Robert Trent Jones courses are. This element makes Hazeltine the perfect venue for the LPGA. Accuracy and ball-striking will be on full display this week.
Last time around Hazeltine, in 2019, Hannah Green won her first major championship in her second year on the LPGA Tour. And the win was wire-to-wire; Green led the tournament after each round and won by one stroke. She said in her press conference in 2019 that she was probably the most nervous she had ever been. But seven years later, Green said in a pre-tournament press conference that she might be more nervous now, despite how much she’s matured.
“I was playing in the pro-am yesterday afternoon and I kind of said, I think if I was in the same position again even now with my experience, I would probably be more nervous because I want to win even more than I did back then,” Green said.
“I felt like because I was ranked outside the 100th [in 2019], I didn’t imagine myself being in contention in a major that early in my career, so it was very new to me and I probably didn’t have any history of performing badly under pressure.”
Hazeltine is special for Green, and she’s already having quite a special season. She’s won four times so far in 2026, including three wins in three starts across the LPGA and LET, and two meaningful victories in her home country. Look for her to make a charge again here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Green isn’t the only Aussie looking to make a mark at the KPMG. Her compatriot Minjee Lee is the defending champion of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after a grueling win last year at PGA Frisco. But Lee has not had the best of 2026 seasons. In seven starts this year, she’s made five cuts and only saw the top 10 twice. Another solid major performance would boost her morale on her continual quest for the career grand slam.
I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t mention World No. 1 Nelly Korda going into the third major of the 2026 season. Korda has a chance to run the gauntlet for major championships this year after winning The Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. When it’s major championship week, something inside Korda switches on.
“Yeah, it was just like there’s no better place to be in than in the hunt on a back nine on Sunday at a major championship, especially at the Women’s Open,” Korda said in a pre-tournament press conference ahead of the U.S. Women’s Open early in June.
But Korda isn’t the only player that likes being in the hunt. Charley Hull, who we’ve seen chase leader after leader, is another player I’d keep an eye out for to claim the first major championship of her career. Hull, the self-proclaimed bridesmaid but never the bride, finished tied for second place at the U.S. Women’s Open and tied for 10th at The Chevron Championship this season. In the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, she nearly caught Yamashita. One thing is certain: Hull is always hanging around on Sundays at major championships.
You can catch the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship from June 25-28 on Golf Channel, NBC and Peacock.
See you next week to see who comes out on top, golf fans.
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This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
Featured groups: 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Field breakdown: 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
How to watch the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to feature the highest purse in the history of women’s golf
Yamashita wins Meijer LPGA Classic playoff after Woad lips out 3-footer in regulation
More on Yamashita’s win and the shocking finish
Woad suffers disappointing loss in Michigan, turns attention to KPMG
Meijer LPGA Classic celebrates and gives thanks to fathers on Father’s Day
The LPGA announces its partnership with the Adaptive Golf Hall of Fame
LET News
Euro swing continues this week with Tipsport Czech Ladies Open
Past champion Melichova revelling in “complete happiness” a year on from injury-hampered home event
Utama secures playoff victory at 2026 Dutch Ladies Open
Sustainability initiatives on show at 2026 Dutch Ladies Open
Epson Tour News
Things to know about the 2026 Island Resort Championship
Field breakdown: 2026 Island Resort Championship
Pure Michigan Cup update: Lauren Olivares takes the lead after week two
Lauren Olivares hoists first professional victory on Epson Tour at Great Lakes Championship
Amateur News
Farah O’Keefe enjoys dramatic win to progress at The Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield
Mayo sets the pace at The Women’s Amateur Championship
Five at The IX: Quotes from Miyu Yamashita after her win at the 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan
THE MODERATOR: All right, very pleased to be joined by Miyu Yamashita, winner of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
Miyu, I guess start kind of take us through the round today. Seemed like every putt you had was going in. What was the mindset coming into today’s round?
MIYU YAMASHITA: I didn’t think about like win today, and I just focused on like playing just every round.
My putting was solid today and I was able to put together a really good round.
Q. Did you know kind of what you needed to do in order to try and win this one or were you just kind of playing the round as it was coming to you?
YAMASHITA: So I was able to put together a solid round, and it all felt pretty natural out there. Lottie played really well too. I honestly didn’t expect it to end up in a playoff.
Q. And then obviously had to wait a little bit before finding out you were going to the playoff. What was the thought process to stay loose, warm, and stay ready in case you had to go to a playoff?
YAMASHITA: So I really didn’t expect like it’s going to be playoff, but once it did I was able to reset mentally and focus on the task at hand.
I’m glad I was able to take advantage of the opportunity and turn it into a win.
Q. Congratulations on the win. Wondering if you could take us through your mindset during the playoff hole.
YAMASHITA: So I’m really pleased that I was able to set myself into the playoff. Our whole team has been working hard together throughout the season, and this feels like a result of that effort. My family, including my dad, he’s coach, was following along even though they weren’t here, they were important, and I’m glad we were able to share this great result together.
Q. And then just last one: You got a little emotional during your speech but your dad is your coach and you got to win for him on Father’s Day. How special of a moment is that for you?
YAMASHITA: So I know today is the Father’s Day and I really wanted to win on this special day. That gave me a little extra motivation out there and helped drive me throughout the round.
I am incredibly grateful to my family for all the support they give me every day. This win is just as much for them as it is for me.
‘Rare Gems’ is out now!
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.”
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