01타이틀 방어 청신호 켜며 상위권 안착
야마시타 미유가 LPGA 투어 메이뱅크 챔피언십 첫날 정교한 샷 감각을 앞세워 65타를 기록하며 타이틀 방어를 향한 쾌조의 출발을 보였다.
디펜딩 챔피언 자격으로 출전한 야마시타는 대회 1라운드부터 안정적인 경기 운영을 펼치며 리더보드 상단에 이름을 올렸다.
대회 첫날 65타로 기선 제압에 성공한 야마시타 미유가 남은 라운드에서도 호조를 이어가며 타이틀 방어에 성공할 수 있을지 관심이 모이고 있다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Miyu Yamashita of Japan plays a shot from the second tee during the first round of the Maybank Championship 2026 at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on October 29, 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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Defending champion Miyu Yamashita picked up right where she left off in Malaysia, firing a 7-under 65 on day one to sit in a tie for second place after the opening round of the Maybank Championship.
Yamashita, the Japanese star, opened her round strongly by hitting 12 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation. Capitalizing on her consistent ball-striking, she carded eight birdies against a single bogey.
"So my ball striking was really consistent today and I putted really well, so I think that happened me shoot a good score," Yamashita said through a translator. "And I'm really happy to have gotten off to such a good start."
Her performance on the greens was a major highlight, requiring only 24 putts—the second fewest across the entire field in the opening round.
Yamashita enters the week looking to replicate her success from 2025, when she won this event in a playoff over Hannah Green and Hye-Jin Choi with a score of 18-under par. Carrying momentum from a stellar 2026 campaign that includes 12 top-10 finishes in 21 starts, highlighted by victories at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and the CPKC Women's Open, she feels comfortable taking her game global.
"I was able to walk through it by discussing each shot with my caddie," Yamashita said of adapting to courses worldwide. "With different wins everywhere I can hit and I enjoy the wind, so this makes me — this helped me to play well all over the countries."
Yamashita shares her position on the leaderboard with Sophia Schubert, who also opened with a 65.