Miyu Yamashita aims for back-to-back LPGA wins in Japan

Miyu Yamashita shares the first-round LPGA lead in Japan as she tries for two wins in a row.

Yamashita won the Maybank Championship in Malaysia last weekend.

She shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday at the Toto Japan Classic.

The tournament is being played at the Daieiyo Club Minori Course in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.

Two other Japanese players also shot 66.

Aki Iwai and Sayaka Takahashi are tied with Yamashita at the top.

Iwai won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in late September.

Takahashi is looking for her first LPGA victory.

The three co-leaders hold a one-stroke advantage.

Minami Hiruta, Pajaree Anannarukarn and Fuka Suga are one shot back after shooting 67.

Defending champion Nasa Hataoka is among nine players at 4-under 68.

Hataoka won this event last year.

Hwang Yoo-min also shot 68.

Hwang had four birdies and no bogeys.

She is tied for seventh, two strokes off the lead.

Hwang won the Lotte Championship last year as an invited player.

She has eight top-25 finishes this season.

Hwang is competing for LPGA Rookie of the Year.

She is second in the rookie standings with 441 points.

Erika Hara leads with 559 points.

The Toto Japan Classic winner receives 150 rookie points.

Hara shot a 2-under 70 on Thursday.

Jeon In-ji and Kang Min-ji each shot 3-under 69.

Lee Mi-hyang and Joo Soo-bin shot 2-under 70.

Kim Hyo-joo, seeking her third win of the 2026 season, shot 1-under 71.

The course measures 6,598 yards.

The Toto Japan Classic is the last event of the LPGA’s late-season Asian swing.

Four tournaments make up the swing.

Yamashita has already won one of them.

A back-to-back win would be a career milestone.

The LPGA season has three tournaments remaining after this one.

Nelly Korda has already clinched the 2026 player-of-the-year award.

Korda won four times this year, including two majors.

She won the Chevron Championship and the US Women’s Open.

Korda now has 26 Hall of Fame points.

One more win would qualify her for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

A major win is worth two points.

A regular LPGA Tour win is worth one point.

Korda won the award in 2024 as well.

She is 28 years old.

Lydia Ko and Inbee Park both qualified for the Hall of Fame at age 27.

Korda opened the 2026 season with six straight tournaments where she either won or finished second.

Haeran Ryu won two majors this year but withdrew from the Malaysia event due to injury.

Yamashita and Jeeno Thitikul did not enter The Annika next week in Florida.

That left the player-of-the-year race clear for Korda.

Back in Japan, Yamashita is focused on the leaderboard in front of her.

Thursday’s round was steady.

She made six birdies and no bogeys.

Iwai and Takahashi matched her score.

The three will play together in the second round.

Friday’s weather forecast calls for clear skies.

The cut line will fall after 36 holes.

Only the top 65 players and ties will advance to the weekend.

Hwang Yoo-min is in position to make the cut.

She needs a solid second round to stay in contention.

Hwang’s best finish this year is a tie for fifth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

She is still seeking her second LPGA victory.

Kim Hyo-joo has already won twice in 2026.

She is trying to become the first player this season to reach three wins.

Kim is tied for 40th after round one.

She is four shots behind the leaders.

Nasa Hataoka is trying to defend her title.

She won the Toto Japan Classic in 2025.

Hataoka is two shots back after 68.

She has won six times on the LPGA Tour.

Aki Iwai has one LPGA win.

She won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in September.

Iwai is 23 years old.

Sayaka Takahashi is still looking for her first LPGA win.

She has played on the LPGA Tour since 2022.

Miyu Yamashita has three LPGA wins.

She won the Maybank Championship last week.

She also won the Toto Japan Classic in 2023.

A win this week would give her a second title in Japan.

It would also make her the first player to win back-to-back events on the 2026 LPGA schedule.

The Asian swing began in South Korea.

It moved to Malaysia.

Now it ends in Japan.

The LPGA will then take a one-week break before The Annika in Florida.

The season finale is the CME Group Tour Championship in November.

Yamashita is ranked inside the top 20 in the world.

She is one of several Japanese players in the top 50.

Japanese golf has produced multiple LPGA winners in recent years.

Hataoka, Iwai and Yamashita are all in the field this week.

The Toto Japan Classic is a 72-hole stroke-play event.

There is no cut after 54 holes.

The winner will receive a full LPGA Tour exemption.

The purse is $2 million.

The winner’s share is $300,000.

Play continues Friday with the second round.

The leaders tee off in the afternoon local time.

Fans in Japan are watching closely.

A Japanese winner would be popular.

Three Japanese players share the lead after 18 holes.

That has not happened often on the LPGA Tour.

The last time three players from the same country led after round one was in 2024.

Yamashita is the hottest player in the field.

She won last week in a playoff.

She birdied the first extra hole to beat Jeeno Thitikul.

Thitikul is not playing this week.

Yamashita is trying to carry that momentum.

She said after Thursday’s round that she felt comfortable on the course.

Her driving was accurate.

Her putting was sharp.

She made several birdie putts from inside 15 feet.