Miyuu Yamashita

One of the stars of the Japanese circuit this year, winning the World Championship Salonpas Cup by three strokes in May and five weeks later adding the Ai Miyazato Suntory Open by one.

With a runner-up finish and two third places as well her earnings of almost 80 million Yen (nearly £500,000) took her into the game’s top 50 and could easily have put her into a commanding Order of Merit lead except for the fact that with five victories Mao Saigo was close to 100 million. Yamashita had her first win on the circuit at last season’s 54-hole KKTcup Vantelin Open, which she took by five shots.