After her maiden win in Japan, Yuri Yoshida was asked to describe her style.
"So I play golf not smiling, I think," she said. "But off the course, I'm always smiling. So if you can follow my Instagram, I'm really so happy."
Yoshida, 26, positively beamed on Sunday at Pine Beach Golf Links as friends showered her with champagne after a rain soaked weekend on the southern tip of South Korea.
To win her first title at the 2026 BMW Ladies Championship, Yoshida had to overcome world No. 3 Haeran Ryu, who squandered a four-stroke lead and Hye-Jin Choi, who is still searching for her first LPGA title after nine runner-up finishes. It was also a test of patience in difficult conditions caused by the remnants of Typhoon Champi.
Yoshida's final-round 68 began
with a bang as she eagled the par-5 second hole to put pressure on Ryu, a two-time major winner this season on the LPGA along with two more wins on the KLPGA, including a major on that tour.
Yoshida then added three more birdies on Nos. 5-7 to go out in 31. A bogey on the 18th could've been quite costly were it not for the fact that Ryu bogeyed the 18th as well from a green side bunker. Ryu closed with a 73 while Choi shot 69.
"It's a special moment for me, and actually, I was nervous," said Yoshida. "But at this moment, I'm really happy."
A four-time winner on the JLPGA, Yoshida joined the LPGA in 2024. She has $1,591,573 in career earnings and is projected to move to No. 16 on the CME Race to the Globe standings. The fourth Rolex First-Time winner this season, Yoshida becomes the second player from Japan to break through, joining Yuna Nishimura. Yoshida is the 16th Japanese player to become a Rolex First-Time winner since 2006.
Four Koreans finished in the top 5 with Hyo Joo Kim carding a final-round 68 to take a share of fourth with compatriot Minsol Kim.
Both Rose Zhang and Shinsil Bang withdrew during the final round.
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and all things women's golf. Follow her on X/Twitter (@GolfweekNichols).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Yuri Yoshida holds off world No. 3 for maiden win at BMW Championship
