Staff WriterIn a final round that danced on the edge of drama, Miyu Yamashita held off a barnstorming Charley Hull and a red-hot Minami Katsu to win the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, etching her name into the record books and rewriting the script for rookie major champions.
The 24-year-old from Osaka became the ninth Rolex First-Time winner of the LPGA season and the second player in 2025 to make a major their maiden Tour title.
Her nerveless final-round 70 sealed a two-shot victory at Royal Porthcawl and made her the sixth player to break through for their first LPGA win at this championship—first since Ashleigh Buhai in 2022.
“To win such a historic tournament in front of all these amazing fans is such an incredible feeling,” said Yamashita, champagne-soaked and teary-eyed. “To be part of such a moment in history is something very, very special.”
And special it was. Yamashita became only the second player from Japan to win the AIG Women’s Open—joining 2019’s breakout star Hinako Shibuno—and the sixth Japanese player to win a women’s major overall.
Remarkably, she’s the fourth different Japanese player to win an LPGA major in just the last two years.
A Stat Sheet Worth Framing
Yamashita’s week was surgical:
- 16 birdies and just 7 bogeys (the fewest in the field)
- Bogey-free in the second round
- 39 of 56 fairways hit
- 56 of 72 greens in regulation
- Just 119 putts over four days
Let’s call it what it was: a four-day masterclass.
Hull Charges, Again
Charley Hull didn’t win, but she might’ve won your heart—again. The English firecracker posted her second career runner-up finish at the AIG Women’s Open (also in 2023), and her ninth overall runner-up on Tour. Four of those have come at majors. She led the field in birdies (22) and putts (109), and averaged a muscular 262.8 yards off the tee.
“Coming into this week I didn’t think I was going to make the cut,” Hull said. “I was poorly… I collapsed three times in Evian. So I think I done pretty well. I’m pretty proud of myself.”
She should be. She very nearly pulled off the comeback of the decade, having started Saturday 11 shots off the pace.
Katsu and Takeda Lead the Rising Sun
Minami Katsu matched Hull’s 9-under total to finish T2—her best LPGA result to date. She made 19 birdies for the week, tied for second-most in the field, and continues to prove that her smooth putting stroke belongs on every major stage. This is her highest major finish after a previous best of T9 at The Chevron.
Rio Takeda also had a breakthrough, finishing T4 for her best result at the AIG Women’s Open, just one year after missing the cut. She made 15 birdies and just 8 bogeys—second only to Yamashita—and now leads the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings.
Sampedro Sparkles
Spanish amateur Paula Martin Sampedro stole plenty of headlines with her T9 finish, taking home the Smyth Salver as the low amateur. The Stanford standout turned her final round around after opening with two bogeys, going birdie-crazy on the back nine to shoot a closing 68—best round of the day.
“It was definitely a good birdie stretch,” she said. “Six-under in eight holes and birdie on the last. Truly a dream come true.”
She became the second straight amateur to crack the top 10 at this major, and her finish is the best by an amateur since Michelle Wie West in 2005.
Mimi’s Magical Moment
Mimi Rhodes might have finished T19, but her final round will be replayed forever. The 24-year-old Englishwoman made a hole-in-one at the par-3 5th—her second career ace—after her ball ricocheted off playing partner Steph Kyriacou’s tee shot and dove into the hole.
“I wasn’t expecting it to go in, so I just picked up my tee,” Rhodes laughed. “I had no idea it hit Steph’s ball until I saw the video. That’s unbelievable.”
That ace, combined with Kyriacou’s own at the 8th on Friday, made them the 14th and 15th players in history to record a hole-in-one at the AIG Women’s Open—and the first duo to do so since 2018.
Korda and Ko Fall Flat
It wasn’t a week to remember for the favourites. World No.1 Nelly Korda finished T36—her worst result at this event since 2022.
She made 10 birdies, 13 bogeys, and hit just 25 fairways across four days. Lydia Ko, the defending champ, also stumbled to a T36 finish, despite needing just 114 putts (fourth-fewest in the field).
Still, the AIG Women’s Open proved once again that it doesn’t need a favourite to deliver a finish worthy of history.
By the Numbers
- Champion: Miyu Yamashita (−11)
- Top Finishers: T2 – Charley Hull, Minami Katsu (−9) | T4 – A Lim Kim, Rio Takeda (−7) | T9 – Paula Martin Sampedro (−4, Low Amateur)
- Aces: Mimi Rhodes (No. 5), Stephanie Kyriacou (No. 8)
- Next Stop: Royal Lytham & St Annes for the 2026 AIG Women’s Open
Final Word
From amateur brilliance to bouncing balls off playing partners into the cup, the 2025 AIG Women’s Open had it all.
Yamashita’s win wasn’t just a personal milestone—it was another towering moment for Japanese golf and the global rise of the women’s game.
Pour a dram, replay that final stretch, and circle Lytham on your calendar. This train isn’t slowing down.
