Miyu Yamashita didn’t just win the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open; she torched the field by nine strokes, tying an LPGA scoring record of 257. The No. 7-ranked player in the world started with a scorching 62 at Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alberta, and never took her foot off the gas, walking away with $412,500 from the $2.75 million purse and her fourth career LPGA win. This wasn’t just a victory, it was a statement.
Yamashita Sets the Pace While the Field Chases Her Shadow
Seriously, Miyu Yamashita was on another planet this week. Her precision was absolutely unreal from the first tee, leading to that insane 62 opening round. She didn’t just beat the field; she demolished it, finishing 23 under par. To tie an LPGA scoring record set by Sei Young Kim back in 2018? That’s legacy-making stuff right there. You just don’t see that kind of dominance every day. This win firmly establishes her as one of the game’s top players, and honestly, it felt like she was playing a different tournament than everyone else.
Drama, Comebacks, and Heartbreak Define the Rest of the Pack
While Yamashita was running away with it, there was plenty of action, and some major drama, further down the leaderboard. Take Kiara Romero, for example, making her pro debut in Canada. She opened with a fantastic 64, making some serious headlines early on. But man, golf can be brutal. A poor finish, going bogey, bogey, then a double bogey over her last three holes, dropped her all the way to a share of 24th, netting her $25,670. Talk about a tough break.
Then you had the comeback stories that grab you. Gina Kim and Yuri Yoshida both missed six straight cuts coming into this week. Six! And what do they do? Kim, who had already won the Dow team event this year, fought her way to a share of fourth place, earning $118,531. Yoshida went even further, snagging solo second and a massive $259,395 payday. That’s some serious resilience. Rookie Laney Frye also made some noise, closing with two birdies to finish T-7. That $75,270 payday and those valuable CME points are huge for keeping her card. And how about the young guns? Seventeen-year-old Anna Huang, already a four-time winner on the LET, tied for fourth with a $118,531 check and played her way into next week’s FM Championship. She’ll be joined by 16-year-old amateur Aphrodite Deng, who also took a share of seventh, though no money as an amateur.
The CPKC Women’s Open gave us a dominant performance from Yamashita and some incredible fight from the rest. For players like Huang and Deng, the FM Championship next week is a chance to keep that momentum going and show they belong. And for the veterans who defied their recent struggles, this tournament was a massive statement about their staying power on the LPGA Tour.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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