Miyu Yamashita Claims First Major Title at Royal Porthcawl

In a landmark moment for Japanese golf, Miyu Yamashita captured her first major title at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open on the windswept links of Royal Porthcawl.

On a windswept Sunday in Wales, Japan’s Miyu Yamashita etched her name into golf history by capturing her first major title at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open.

The 24-year-old rookie on the LPGA Tour held her nerve in challenging conditions at Royal Porthcawl, carding a final-round 2-under 70 to finish at 11-under for the tournament.

Her two-shot victory over England’s Charley Hull and fellow Japanese star Minami Katsu marked a breakthrough moment in her career and capped a golden season for Japanese women’s golf.

Yamashita, already a 13-time winner on the JLPGA, showed poise beyond her years throughout the week. After building a three-shot lead heading into the weekend, she struggled with her putting on Saturday but rebounded with a composed final round.

Her scrambling ability and steady putting on Sunday proved decisive, especially as Hull mounted a spirited charge before faltering with bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes. Yamashita’s lone bogey on 17 didn’t shake her confidence, and she calmly closed out the win with a par on the 72nd hole.

The victory earned Yamashita a record $1,462,500 from the tournament’s $9.75 million purse and elevated her into the global spotlight. It also made her the fourth Japanese player to win a major in 2025, joining Mao Saigo, who triumphed at the Chevron Championship.

“To win such a historic tournament in front of all these amazing fans is such an incredible feeling,” Yamashita said through an interpreter, her trademark yellow sweater brightening the grey Welsh skies as she lifted the trophy.

With her win, Yamashita becomes the 21st different LPGA winner this season, underscoring the tour’s growing depth.