Yamashita rallies to win 2nd LPGA title of the year. McKibbin wins Hong Kong to get into the Masters

By Canadian Press on November 2, 2025.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Women’s British Open champion Miyu Yamashita matched the low final round with a 7-under 65 and birdied the first playoff hole to win the Maybank Championship for her second LPGA Tour title of her rookie season.

Yamashita, a 24-year-old from Japan, defeated 54-hole leader Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea and Hannah Green of Australia. Choi has 29 career runner-up finishes without a win on the tour, and this was her third time with a 54-hole lead. She shot 73.

Green, who played on the victorious Australian team in the International Crown two weeks ago, birdied the 18th for a 68 to join the playoff at 18-under 270.

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (68) of Thailand, Liu Yan (65) of China, Akie Iwai (67) of Japan and South Korean pair A Lim Kim (68) and Kim Sei-Young (66) were all tied for fourth-place at 17 under.

Defending champion Yin Ruoning shot 70 for a 12th-place finish at 14-under 274, four strokes behind.

Asian Tour

HONG KONG (AP) — Tom McKibbin earned his first trip to the Masters by pulling away for a 7-under 63 to cap off a wire-to-wire victory Sunday in the Hong Kong Open. His win also gets the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland in the British Open.

Getting to Augusta National became a challenge when McKibbin signed with Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2024. But the Masters changed its criteria this year, designating six national opens where the winner earns an invitation.

McKibbin, who opened with a 60, took a two-shot lead into the final round. McKibbin was still two shots clear of Peter Uihlein when he birdied four of five holes to start the back nine and wound up with a seven-shot victory, the second win of his career.

He finished at 27-under 253. Uihlein’s hopes ended with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 14th hole. The American closed with a 68.

Other tours

James Morrison planned to retire until he closed with a 2-under 70 for a three-shot victory in the Rolex Grand Final on the Challenge Tour on Sunday. He moved up 30 spots on the points list to No. 6 to secure a European Tour card for 2026. … Taihei Sato captured his first Japan Golf Tour title when he closed with a 4-under 67 and won the Fortinet Players Cup by two shots over Taiki Yoshida. … Kano Nakamura closed with a 4-under 68 and won the Hisako Higuchi Mitsubishi Electric Ladies by two shots on the Japan LPGA. … Jiwon Ko closed with a 5-under 67 for a two-shot victory in the S-Oil Championship on the Korea LPGA.

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The Associated Press