Yuri Yoshida rallies for first victory on LPGA Tour

Yuri Yoshida overcame a four-stroke deficit entering the final round of the BMW Ladies Championship to record a one-shot victory in Haenam-gun, South Korea, on Sunday.

Yoshida recorded an eagle on the par-5 second hole and three straight birdies on Nos. 5-7 to highlight a 4-under-par 68 on Sunday at Pine Beach Golf Links. She finished the tournament at 17-under 271 to capture her first LPGA Tour victory and pocket a first-prize check of $352,500.

“It’s a special moment for me, and actually, I was nervous,” Yoshida said. “But at this moment, I’m really happy.”

Yoshida, 26, became the fourth player from Japan to win this season and the fourth first-time winner on the LPGA Tour.

She benefited from a brilliant shot out of the bunker on the 17th hole, enabling her to make a birdie that proved pivotal.

“Actually, I didn’t have confidence,“ Yoshida said of the shot out of the bunker. “But I thought, just hit, just hit, it’s the perfect distance. It was perfect, yeah.”

Yoshida finished one shot ahead of South Koreans Choi Hye-jin (69 on Sunday) and overnight leader and World No. 3 Haeran Ryu (73). The latter two golfers bogeyed their final holes.

From there, Yoshida finished her round and was greeted by several Japanese players and friends.

Choi failed to capture her first LPGA Tour victory despite entering the final round with at least a share of the lead on five occasions. She has three runner-up finishes this season, including last weekend’s effort in China.

Ryu recorded 15 consecutive pars during her final round before sandwiching bogeys around a birdie over her final three holes.

Ryu, 25, was looking for her sixth title on the LPGA Tour. She won her first two majors this season at the Women’s PGA Championship and the Evian Championship.

Fellow South Koreans Minsol Kim (67) and Kim Hyo-joo (68) finished in a tie for fourth place at 15-under.

Defending champion Kim Sei-uoung Kim of South Korea carded a 70 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 55th place.

This is the second of four events on the fall Asian swing, followed by tournaments in Malaysia and Japan.