Miyu Yamashita claimed her third LPGA Tour title at Blythefield Country Club on Sunday — but only after Lottie Woad’s three-footer on the 72nd hole caught the lip and stayed out, sending the Meijer LPGA Classic into a sudden-death playoff.
It had looked, briefly, like Lottie Woad’s week. The Englishwoman had been composed in the final group for two days running, made clutch putt after clutch putt, and arrived at the 18th tee tied for the lead. She found the rough off the tee, took on the green in two anyway, and left herself a three-footer for par that would have forced nothing — except it didn’t drop.
“I went pretty straight, left centre. It went left on me,” Woad said afterwards. “I’m not sure if that was me or the green or it’s late in the day. But yeah, missed.”
Her only three-putt of the entire week arrived on the hole that mattered most.
Yamashita seizes the moment
Miyu Yamashita had watched it all unfold and, to her own admission, hadn’t expected a playoff at that point. The 24-year-old from Osaka had posted a final-round 64 — matching the lowest round of the week — to finish at 17-under-par, and then waited to see whether it would be enough.
When it was, she reset and delivered on the playoff hole. Her chip set up a winning opportunity that she converted, capping a week in which her putting had been the standout element of her game.
“I was able to reset mentally and focus on the task at hand,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to take advantage of the opportunity and turn it into a win.”
It was her first victory on US soil — her two previous LPGA titles, the 2025 AIG Women’s Open and the 2025 Maybank Championship, both came elsewhere. She is now the first Japanese player to win this event and, with three LPGA titles in just 37 starts, the fastest Japanese player to reach that mark in Tour history.
A Father’s Day win with extra meaning
The timing added a layer of emotion. Yamashita’s father is her coach, and Sunday was Father’s Day in the United States. She had spoken before the round about wanting to win for him specifically, and when the trophy was in her hands, that context was front and centre.
“I know today is Father’s Day and I really wanted to win on this special day,” she said. “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.”
It was her sixth top-ten finish of the season, her second time past the $1 million mark in single-season earnings, and takes her career prize money to over $4.8 million.
Woad looks ahead to KPMG
For Woad, there was the sting of what might have been, but also reason to feel confident heading into the coming KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She had 24 birdies across the four days — second only in the field — and only one three-putt all week, which arrived at the worst possible moment.
“I definitely felt like I played good this week,” she said. “Felt pretty comfortable in the final group the last two days. Just kept myself in it. Made a lot of clutch putts this week, so I’m going to try and shake off this missed one. Hopefully next week is my week instead.”
Wei-Ling Hsu and Yan Liu finished in a share of third at 15-under, two shots back. Hsu made two eagles on the week and birdied four of her back nine holes in the final round, while Liu recorded her second top-ten of the season.
Watch Lottie Woad’s final day highlights and heartbreak
See the full results here
