Yamashita reigns supreme

Miyu Yamashita held off a Charley Hull charge to land her first career major and become the 2025 AIG Women’s Open Champion.

The 24-year-old from Osaka celebrated her birthday on Saturday and earned the best possible belated gift courtesy of a final-round 70, finishing two shots clear at the summit.

Hull could hardly have done more to end her own wait for a major title, five birdies applying serious pressure on the leader and raising the noise levels around Royal Porthcawl.

But back-to-back bogeys at 16 and 17 dented her ambitions and Yamashita, who has led since Friday morning, kept her nearest challenger at arm’s length with three birdies of her own and a succession of nerveless putts to save pars.

Yamashita is the 14^th consecutive different Champion and the third Japanese golfer to lift this trophy, following in the footsteps of Ayako Okamoto and Hinako Shibuno.

Hull shared second, her fourth runner-up finish in a major, with the fast-finishing Minami Katsu after both carded three-under-par 69s.

Yamashita holds firm

Yamashita and Hull were playing in separate groups but the race to be crowned Champion soon became a two-horse one.

Yamashita briefly shared the lead with her playing partner in the final pairing, A Lim Kim, who birdied the 2^nd, but a turning point came at the 4^th when the Japanese birdied and Kim recorded her second straight bogey, putting three shots between them.

It was around this time, two groups in front, that Hull began to make her move. Birdies at 5 and 6 got her moving and a superb uphill putt on the par-3 8^th took her to within one of the lead, Yamashita having missed a four-footer for birdie at the 5^th.

But not for the first time in this Championship, when it looked like the tide might be turning against Yamashita, she responded.

She rolled in a five-footer after a brilliant tee shot at 8 and followed up with another birdie at 9, two-putting from the front edge of the vast green to head to the turn at 12-under-par, three shots clear.

Blows continued to be traded down the stretch. Hull got to within a shot again with birdies at 12, her third in succession at a par-3, and 14, just the fourth on the hole all day.

The 25-foot putt at the latter had her hordes of fans daring to dream. No-one has ever won a women’s major from more than 10 shots back at halfway – Hull was 11 adrift at that stage – and their belief in that run ending would have grown when Yamashita found a fairway bunker at the 13^th.

But a clutch 15-footer saved par for the leader, keeping her narrowly in front, and she could begin to breathe more easily when Hull found trouble at 16.

A visit to a bunker, then the rough, was followed by Hull going through the back of the green. She ultimately did well to get away with a bogey, draining a 20-footer, but received another blow when she dropped a further shot on the penultimate hole.

Yamashita largely avoided similar blemishes. At 14, an uncharacteristically lax birdie putt left her with a tricky six-footer, which found the heart of the cup.

Her only blip came at 17, a bogey dropping her to 11-under, but she approached the last needing bogey or better to add her name to the trophy.

No-one had double bogeyed on the par-5 18^th all week and Yamashita was never in danger of breaking the trend, a close-range putt sealing her par and the trophy.

Having been laser-focused for four days, only then did the emotions show. Tears flowed and Yamashita was mobbed by her compatriots in the field, who ran on to the green spraying bottles of champagne.

They were justified celebrations after a remarkably consistent four days from the new Champion, who delivered a pacesetting masterclass over the weekend.

Katsu climbs to share of second

On a memorable week for Japanese golf, Minami Katsu was another to impress.

Having carded a brilliant seven-under 65 on Saturday, Katsu’s putter was on fire in her final round.

A long putt saved par at 4 before two more monster efforts were drained for birdies on 9 and 11. She picked up another at 18 to move into a share of second with Hull and record her best major finish.

Katsu’s compatriot Rio Takeda finished on seven-under alongside Kim, whose challenge in the final pairing faded with six bogeys.

Megan Khang was unable to make inroads from her overnight position at six-under and finished where she started, while Andrea Lee carded a four-over 76 to drop outside the top 10.

Lottie Woad, meanwhile, continued a hugely impressive start to her professional career by finishing her first AIG Women’s Open in a share of eighth on four-under.

Rhodes records remarkable ace

Mimi Rhodes called her debut at the AIG Women’s Open ‘magical’ and saved her best moment for the last day.

The 24-year-old recorded a remarkable hole-in-one at the par-3 5^th, with a bit of assistance from playing partner Steph Kyriacou.

The Australian, who hit an ace herself at the 8^th on Friday, came within centimetres of another with an excellent tee shot.

Rhodes followed her line and her ball deflected into the cup off Kyriacou’s ball, leaving the Englishwoman bemused and delighted in equal measure.

“I wasn't expecting it to go in, so I just picked up my tee, and I heard everyone going crazy,” she said.

“It was extra loud, so I knew something had happened. Then we just walked up to the green and it was in the hole.

“I had no idea it hit Steph's ball until I just saw the video, so that's unbelievable.”

Sampedro wraps up Smyth Salver

Paula Martin Sampedro sealed the Smyth Salver in style with a brilliant Sunday 68, the best round of the day.

The 19-year-old Spaniard backed up her Women’s Amateur Championship success with another piece of silverware after responding superbly to back-to-back opening bogeys.

Five birdies on the spin between 11 and 15 were followed by another at 18 as she conquered the back nine in 30, finishing inside the top 10 after a round her playing partner, defending Champion Lydia Ko, called ‘amazing’ and ‘unbelievable’.

Sampedro said: “I couldn't imagine a better ending of my AIG Women's Open, six-under in eight holes and birdie on the last. Truly a dream come true.”

Carla Bernat finished nine-over, with Jeneath Wong eight shots further back.