Miyu Yamashita wins Meijer LPGA in playoff after Lottie Woad 3-putts 18th in regulation
It looked like Lottie Woad had the title in hand. After a brilliantly holed bunker shot for birdie on the 71st hole at the Meijer LPGA Classic, Woad carried a one-shot lead over Miyu Yamashita into the closing par 5 at Blythefield Country Club near Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Looking back, Woad wishes she had laid up. But she went for it on the 18th, and her third shot from the rough went a little too far past the hole. The former Florida State star needed a two-putt to win and instead lipped out from 3 feet, leaving everyone in shock.
Lottie Woad misses the par putt on 18 and the Meijer LPGA Classic is heading into a playoff pic.twitter.com/umNvo9KDZH
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 21, 2026
The closing bogey sent Woad back to the 18th tee with Yamashita, a major champion looking for her third career title. It was an overtime battle between the No. 7 (Woad) and the eighth-ranked player in the world, a 13-time winner on the JLPGA.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to end up in a playoff,” said Yamashita, who birdied the 18th hole in regulation to get to 17 under.
At 4-foot-11 Yamashita, the shortest player on tour, came up big, getting up and down for birdie on the first extra hole to clinch the title. Yamashita was the hottest player all day, carding a closing 8-under 64 to come from five back.
Last year, after winning the AIG Women’s British Open, Yamashita zoomed up the board from eight strokes back in Malaysia to win in a playoff. She grew emotional on Father’s Day talking about her dad, who doubles as her instructor.
“This week I had really good feeling,” said 24-year-old Yamashita, “so I’m really happy to win.”
Wei-Ling Hsu made three birdies and an eagle over her last seven holes at Blythefield Country Club to shoot 67 and take a share of third with China’s Yan Liu.
Rookie Riley Smyth made her first cut of the season in her 10th start, taking a share of 12th to earn $51,880.
Woad, 22, hasn’t yet been a pro for a full year and already has two LPGA titles to her credit, a top-10 ranking and likely a starring role on the 2026 European Solheim Cup team in the Netherlands.
“I’m already having nightmares about that,” joked U.S. captain Angela Stanford, who was working in the booth for CBS.
The 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, Woad won her first start as a professional last summer at the Scottish Open. She collected her second LPGA title last month at the Kroger Queen City Championship.
“Felt pretty comfortable in the final group the last two days,” said Woad. “Just kept myself in it. Made a lot of clutch putts this week, so I’m going to try and shake off this missed one.
“Hopefully next week is my week instead.”
Next week, of course, is the third major of the season, the KPMG Women’s PGA at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. World No. 1 Nelly Korda won the first two majors of 2026, becoming the first to do it since Inbee Park in 2013.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Miyu Yamashita wins Meijer LPGA after Lottie Woad shocking missed putt
