Miyu Yamashita is currently hotter than a summer driver, and she's showing no signs of cooling down: With a phenomenal 6-under 66 in the TOTO Japan Classic, she's immediately back in contention, eyeing her second consecutive LPGA title. She leads after round one alongside her compatriots Akie Iwai and Sayaka Takahashi at the Taiheiyo Club’s Minori Course in Ibaraki.
This is pure drama, as the 'Yamashita show' has been ongoing for a while: Just last week, she clinched victory at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia, successfully defending her title. This marks her third consecutive win on major women's tours, after previously having won the Aramco Korea Championship – she truly dominated there!
Vare Trophy Battle Royale
But the pressure is immense. Yamashita, currently World No. 4 and leading the LPGA Vare Trophy Scoring average, needs to stay sharp. Her direct rival for the Vare Trophy, Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul, is hot on her heels, just 0.34 strokes behind in the scoring statistics. Thitikul herself, with four wins in 2026 and as World No. 2, is one of the top contenders in the field and also playing exceptionally well.
A Look at the Rest of the Field
While Yamashita and Thitikul skipped the Annika event last week, thus helping Nelly Korda secure the LPGA Player of the Year title, the rest of the leaderboard showed a mixed picture. While some players are just one shot back, Hinako Shibuno didn't have a good start: She finished round one with a 4-over 76 and sits in 74th place in the 78-player field. Yamashita's 66 is therefore the perfect starting position to make history and become the first player to follow up an LPGA win directly the next week with another victory.
