Welcome to this week’s Golf Insider, everyone!
We had another first-time winner on the LPGA Tour last week in the Republic of Korea. On Oct. 24, Yuri Yoshida won the 2026 BMW Ladies Championship in a nail-biting finish at Pine Beach Golf Links. The 26-year-old from Japan staged a comeback to win by one shot and, in the process, held off a wave of Korean players vying for victory in their home nation.
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En route to her maiden LPGA trophy, Yoshida put together four consistent rounds of golf in the 60s. She found herself in a tie for first place after Thursday’s first round, when she shot a bogey-free 66 (-6). Then, across her next two rounds of 69 and 68, she only posted two bogeys, one in each round. But Yoshida’s closing round on Sunday — and especially her front nine — was the difference maker.
Yoshida made par on the first hole, but on the par-5 2nd hole, she carded an eagle to climb within two-shots of Haeran Ryu’s lead. Then, three birdies in a row on holes No. 5, 6 and 7 boosted Yoshida to solo first place at 18-under-par, one shot ahead of Ryu.
Playing in the group in front of Ryu, Yoshida had to deal with some pressure to maintain her lead if she wanted to claim victory. She showed some nerves with a stretch of pars on the first five holes of the back nine and a bogey on No. 15. For a player that only started on tour in 2024 and, at the time, had five top-10s to her name, this shakiness is understandable. But Yoshida persisted.
Matching birdies on the 17th hole kept Yoshida and Ryu within one shot of each other, Yoshida still in the lead. But Yoshida came into the clubhouse at 17-under-par after bogeying the final hole. It was up to Ryu to decide her own fate and force a playoff, but she made a bogey to stay one stroke short. Yoshida watched on in glorious revelry.
In that final round, Yoshida hit 14/14 fairways and 13/18 greens. She only had four bogeys on the week and was one of two players to record all four rounds in the 60s. This incredible consistency led Yoshida to become the first Japanese player to win the BMW Ladies Championship and first player to win their maiden LPGA title at this tournament.
Another takeaway? Hye-Jin Choi notched yet another runner-up finish. It was her second in a row and third runner-up result of the season. Choi was bogey-free through her last 15 holes, carding four birdies to post a 3-under-par 69 in the final round. This surge was one of the cleanest rounds of the Sunday slate.
But Choi’s play the rest of the week was instrumental in keeping her in contention in the final round. She shot a 6-under-par 66 in Saturday’s third round; that round included a front-nine 28 with an eagle and six birdies. But Choi carded a double bogey on the par-5 17th hole that turned out to be a hindrance. Imagine if she hadn’t made that double. Would Choi have lifted the trophy?
Regardless, Choi continues to knock on the door of her first LPGA Tour victory. She’s in the field again this week at the Maybank Championship.
Haeran Ryu shared the second place spot with Choi. In her home country, she continued her streak of 15 cuts made in 16 starts and posted her 11th top-10 finish of the 2026 season. Ryu kept this streak in style. She went bogey-free in her first two rounds, carding a 67 and 64 to hold the lead heading into the weekend.
After a third-round 68, Ryu held a four-shot lead ahead of the final round. But ultimately, and unlike the other three times she led after 54 holes, Ryu wasn’t able to sustain it. She finished with a 1-over-par 73 to come up short by one stroke.
With this result, though, Ryu moved above Miyu Yamashita into third place in the Race to the CME Globe rankings. Both Ryu and Yamashita are in the field this week in Malaysia, so this fight between them for position in the CME Globe standings as well as for the Vare Trophy continues. See? This is why the Asian swing rocks!
Next up, the LPGA Tour heads over to Malaysia for the 2026 Maybank Championship from Oct. 29-Nov. 1. Miyu Yamashita is in the field and set to defend her title from last season, where she prevailed in a three-way playoff. One of the players in that three-way playoff? Hye-Jin Choi.
I’m really finding any way to convince you that Choi is due for her maiden LPGA victory, aren’t I?
See you next week, golf fans.
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This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
LPGA Professionals 2026 Section of the Year award winners
Featured groups: 2026 Maybank Championship
Field breakdown: 2026 Maybank Championship
How to watch the 2026 Maybank Championship
Yuri Yoshida wins in Republic of Korea for her first LPGA Tour victory
Haeran Ryu ties for second at BMW Ladies Championship for 11th top-10 of 2026
Third runner-up finish of the year has Choi knocking on the door of a first LPGA win
LET News
LET continues Asian swing with Wistron Ladies Open at Sunrise Golf and Country Club
Watch live: 2026 Wistron Ladies Open
Home hero Tseng happy to be back at Sunrise Golf and Country Club as defending champion
Phatlum excited to join LET and tee it up at Wistron Ladies Open
Alexander hoping to stay patient in tough conditions at Wistron Ladies Open
Former champion Tamburlini hoping to gain momentum for end of 2026 season at Wistron Ladies Open
Phatlum storms to unprecedented fourth Hero Women’s Indian Open title
Amateur Saraswat becomes youngest player to make the cut at Hero Women’s Indian Open
NCAA News
Wake Forest, Dallas Baptist, Emory, Keiser lead latest WGCA coaches polls
Oregon, Yeo sweep Abilene Christian Intercollegiate
Duke, Malixi sweep Landfall Tradition titles, overcome Pate and No. 1 Wake Forest
María José Marín wins East Lake Cup, leads Arkansas to matchplay final
Mary Hardin-Baylor authors runaway victory at Golfweek October Classic
Auburn’s Anna Davis claims seventh collegiate win at Haskins Intercollegiate
Arizona State wins Nanea Invitational title over Stanford and UCLA
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Five at The IX: LPGA Tour heads to Malaysia for the 2026 Maybank Championship
ANNIKA MAYERS: All right, joining us ahead of the 2026 Maybank Championship are Hannah Green and Lydia Ko. We’re coming to the end of the season. I know the Asian Swing is always a really exciting time.
Can you guys just talk about returning to Malaysia and competing here this year?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, I haven’t actually played much tournament golf in the last couple months. I’ve been back in Australia resting and kind of getting ready for this Asia Swing and obviously the final, CME.
So yeah, looking forward to coming back and playing.
Malaysia almost feels like somewhat of a home event as it’s very close to Perth where I live in Australia, and also there are a lot of Australians this come up and watch.
Yeah, had some really good results here the last couple years, so hopefully I can use that history and kind of experience to perform well again this year.
LYDIA KO: Yeah, I’m super excited to be back here. This is probably one of my favorite ones in Asia. Just really like the golf course. It is pretty hot, so I’m just trying to manage the heat a little bit.
In ways it’s nice. You kind of try and do quality practice, keep it pretty short in the practice facility. Yeah, excited for a fun week.
This is the only one that I’m playing in Asia in the fall, so hopefully I’ll be able to have some good form going into our Tour Championship as well.
MAYERS: Okay, joining us ahead of the 2026 Maybank Championship is Ronni Yin.
Q. Last year you had a very strong finish here as well. What is it about the West Course that perhaps suits your game, maybe suits your eye?
RUONING YIN: I think the West Course is — this course is always in good condition. The putting green is I think one of the smoothest putting green on our tour.
I mean, it’s a challenging course for your tee shot, but luckily I’m not hitting that far so a lot of holes I can’t reach, so I would say that’s one of my strengths.
And if I can put the ball on the fairway I have the confidence for my approach shots that I can hit pretty close and make birdie.
I think all the par-5s are not very far. I think two of them are reachable. So there is definitely a lot of birdie chances on this course.
MAYERS: All right, joining us ahead of the 2026 Maybank Championship are Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi.
Q. What do you think it will take to get good scores on this golf course?
HAERAN RYU: I think this week golf course is a little bit narrow and then the green is little have to more slope out there, so I think like more accuracy on the second shot and more confidence on the putting green.
So, yeah, everything I want to more keep patient in the golf course and that it works for the great score for this week.
HYE-JIN CHOI: This course, to talk about it, as Haeran said, it’s really important to keep the fairway. I think that’s the most important part. It’s really important on the green because there is a lot of green and fringe there so it’s important to read those.
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon everyone, welcome to the Maybank Championship 2026. We have with us for this press conference four Malaysian Angels, from left Genevieve Ling, next Kelly Tan, Natasha Oon, and Mirabel Ting.
I’m going to start with a question for all four ladies. What does it mean for to you play on home soil in a tournament, an LPGA event that is sponsored by a Malaysian company? Start with Gen.
GENEVIEVE LING: For me, obviously playing at home, like this is literally home, so this is always the event that I look forward to, and I’m so glad to be able to compete this year.
I’m just excited.
And obviously for us having Maybank sponsoring this event, it’s huge for us every single year because it’s something we all look forward to, so I hope that it continues.
KELLY TAN: I’m the OG. I would say this event is — used to be life-changing event for me, because back when Sime Darby was a sponsor, I think they had a program for junior development, and back then I think there were 20 or 25 ladies.
And some of us have gone overseas and played on Tour and I feel like between the gap of the Sime Darby LPGA and the Maybank there were, what, six or eight years of no LPGA events. It’s really good to see Maybank is coming back to support women golf.
I really feel like Malaysian golf needs that and maybe give the younger generation clearer direction or a motivation to want to play with the best in the world.
At least that was how I felt when I played my first LPGA event. So it’s good to see. But this is towards the end of my career and I’m happy to be here.
NATASHA OON: I will say that having an event in Malaysia that is top level has — for many years, especially with a break — has produced like a lot of great golfers. Like I’m following Mirabel’s career and her college and like she has dominated collegiately and I’ve done well collegiately and I was able to get my card and be here and Kelly the one who paved the path for us and we had programs and everything.
So I’m just kind of like really grateful because I know how much it takes to hold a tournament, let alone fund a tournament, let alone get all these girls out here. We’re always training with competing with the best and giving chances to girls that are coming. So I just think it’s going to grow us as a community and as a sport, and it just really goes to show what we can achieve as a country.
MIRABEL TING: Definitely exciting. Like Kelly, Gen, and Natasha said, they used to have the Sime Darby LPGA here few years ago, and I’m sure Natasha and Kelly played; I was there 2017, and to be able to wish, hope myself to be there one day I would say dream come true.
And also for a lot of like Malaysian girls to be able to play at home soil and the crowd cheering for every one of us, it’s kind of memorable for all of us. At the same time, we’re trying to do our best and try to play well and of course not to expect. You know what happens. So, yeah. Thank you.
MAYERS: Joining us ahead of the 2026 Maybank Championship is our 2023 champion, Celine Boutier.
Q. You mentioned that this is going to be your last event. So what do you normally do on your down time?
CELINE BOUTIER: Oh, I mean, this is my last event of the Asia Swing. So I’m just not playing next week, but after that we have still two tournaments in Florida.
So, yeah, I kind of have only three events left which is kind of crazy to think. I feel like it’s been kind of a long season and it’s kind of weird when it comes to an end.
Yeah, I’m looking forward to some down time. I think I haven’t made plans yet. I do like to sometimes travel and see different stuff. This year I feel like I traveled so much I kind of want to stay in one place.
I think this offseason is a little bit longer because the tournament schedule is not starting until February or end of February. It will be nice to take some time off the golf course and see different stuff and have a normal life and then get back to it.
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