By: Max Bechtoldt
I don’t think anybody could have predicted the top of the KPMG Women’s PGA Sunday Leaderboard, with three potential first time major champions making up the final grouping.
In the last group today is Korean Amy Yang, American Lauren Hartlage and Japan native Miyu Yamashita. But the group chasing is filled with big names, including Lexi Thompson, Lilia Vu, Hinako Shibuno and Jin Young Ko.
A strong debate could be made that Amy Yang is among the best active players who has yet to win a major championship. Yang has five career LPGA Tour wins, including the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship. She’s always played well in majors, with 10 top-five finishes in her career. Overall she has 85 top-10 finishes in her illustrious LPGA Tour tenure.
Hartlage doesn’t quite have the resumé, with only one individual top-10 in three seasons on Tour. This could be a major moment for the 26-year-old though who is trending well with back-to-back top-25 finishes. This would mean guaranteed status, placements in majors for years and even potentially a Solheim Cup place.
Miyu Yamashita has likely accomplished goal No. 1 of the week, which is to get the second spot on the Japanese Olympic team. Because of her placement significantly ahead of LPGA Tour stars Ayaka Furue and Nasa Hataoka, she should be safely in. Yamashita might not be known much in America, but she is a superstar in Japan. Yamashita has 11 wins on the Japanese LPGA Tour, the second strongest tour in the world. Five of those came in 2023. She has performed well in majors this year, with top-20 finishes in each of the previous two.
Currently, Yang sits two strokes ahead of Yamashita and Hartlage. American Sarah Schmelzel, also looking for her first major championship, is three back of Yang at -4. Then Vu, Ko, Thompson and Shibuno, joined by Caroline Inglis, are at -3.
While Vu, Ko, Thompson and Shibuno are chasing, each with at least one career major championship, don’t count out this talented trio at the top just yet.
