Chandni Canan BauerMiyu Yamashita is developing a rather useful habit. Give her a lead heading into the final round of an LPGA Tour event, and she tends not to give it back.
The 25-year-old Japanese golfer held off a determined challenge from Yan Liu to successfully defend her Maybank Championship title, finishing at 22-under-par and two strokes clear of the Chinese player.
It was Yamashita’s third victory of the 2026 LPGA Tour season, her fifth career title and her first successful title defence. She also became the first player in the tournament’s history to win it in consecutive years.
And, as if another trophy were not quite enough, she reached five LPGA Tour victories in just 45 starts, faster than any previous Japanese player.
Yan Liu Makes Yamashita Work for Her Victory
There was little opportunity for Yamashita to enjoy a leisurely final round.
Liu, chasing her maiden LPGA Tour title, applied pressure with an early run of birdies and an eagle at the fifth hole. She eventually finished at 20-under-par, securing the first runner-up finish of her LPGA Tour career.
Her previous best result had been a tie for third at the 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. This time, she improved her lowest 72-hole LPGA Tour score by one stroke.
Yamashita, meanwhile, delivered the sort of ball-striking performance that makes defending a lead considerably less complicated. She found 12 of 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation during the final round, taking 31 putts.
The numbers suggest control, although Yamashita admitted the experience was rather less comfortable than it might have appeared.
“So today was an especially hard round for me, and I think Yan Liu was playing really well and making birdies from early in the round, but I’m glad I was able to stay focused and I was able to play with a good level of nervous energy and stay focused throughout the round.”
That ability to manage the occasion has become one of the defining features of her LPGA career.
Yamashita has now won all three tournaments in which she has held the lead after 54 holes: the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open and this year’s Maybank Championship.
Three opportunities. Three victories.
Five LPGA Titles in Just 45 Starts
Yamashita’s latest success adds another impressive chapter to a career that has developed at considerable speed since she joined the LPGA Tour in 2025.
She announced herself with victory at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, becoming a major champion and earning her first LPGA Tour title. She subsequently received the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award.
Her 2026 campaign has been even more productive.
Victories at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and the CPKC Women’s Open preceded her return to the Maybank Championship, where she improved her winning 72-hole score from 2025 by four strokes.
At the CPKC Women’s Open, she also tied the LPGA Tour’s 36-hole, 54-hole and 72-hole scoring records.
The financial milestones are accumulating almost as quickly as the trophies. Yamashita has become the fastest Japanese player to reach $3 million in official earnings in a single LPGA Tour season.
She also joins Jeeno Thitikul as the only two players in LPGA Tour history to have surpassed $3 million in official prize money in consecutive seasons.
With approximately $3.2 million in official earnings this season and $6.7 million across her LPGA career, the world No. 4 continues to establish herself among the leading players in women’s golf.
Her record before joining the American circuit was hardly modest, either. She collected 13 victories on the JLPGA Tour, including three major championships, and represented Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she finished tied fourth.
Roussin-Bouchard and Teenage Amateur Impress
While Yamashita took the title, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard produced another notable performance, recording four consecutive rounds in the 60s to finish tied third.
The French golfer matched her lowest 72-hole LPGA Tour score and secured her second third-place finish of the season, having also finished T3 at February’s HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Her performance was projected to lift her from 79th to 58th in the Race to the CME Globe standings.
Another player attracting attention was 17-year-old amateur Marisa Tojai, who was making her LPGA Tour debut.
The youngest competitor in the field at 17 years and one month, Tojai earned her place through the ASEAN Qualifier and produced three consecutive rounds in the 60s.
There was also a significant week for Malaysian golfer Mirabel Ting, who finished as the leading home player after receiving a tournament invitation.
Ting had already topped the Epson Tour points standings in 2026, securing her LPGA Tour status for 2027.
Another Lead, Another Trophy for Yamashita
For Yamashita, the Maybank Championship represents more than a successful return to a venue where she already knew how to win.
Her five LPGA Tour titles now include a major championship, a successful title defence and three victories this season alone.
Yet the most revealing statistic may be the simplest.
On three occasions, she has entered the final round of an LPGA Tour event with the lead. On all three, she has finished holding the trophy.
Yan Liu made her earn this one. Yamashita, once again, found a way to finish the job.
