Hwang cards even-par final round; Kim shoots 4-under 68
Sakuma fires 8 birdies, including 5 in a row, to overtake field
Japan sweeps 3 of 4 events on LPGA Tour's Asian swing
Hwang Yu-min and Kim Hyo-joo both finished tied for sixth place at the LPGA Tour's Toto Japan Classic, which carried a purse of $2.1 million. The title went to Sakuma Shuri of Japan, who carded an 8-under 64 in the final round to overturn the leaderboard.
Hwang played the final round Sunday at Daiheiyo Club Minori Course (par 72) in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, trading three birdies for three bogeys to finish at even-par 72.
Starting the day tied third, two strokes off the lead, Hwang closed at 13-under 275 to share sixth place. It was her second top-10 finish of the season, following a tied-fifth result at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January.
Early bogeys effectively ended Hwang's title hopes. She dropped a shot on the par-4 1st hole, then gave away one more each on the par-3 3rd and par-4 5th. She steadied herself with birdies on the par-4 6th and par-5 9th, then added another on the par-5 12th to return to even par. She could not make further gains over the final six holes.
Kim Hyo-joo climbed the leaderboard with a strong final round, carding 4-under 68 on five birdies and one bogey. After dropping a shot on the par-4 4th, Kim bounced back with birdies on holes 7, 9, 12, 14 and 17 to draw level with Hwang.
![Sakuma Shuri of Japan raises her arms in celebration after completing the final round of the LPGA Tour's Toto Japan Classic at Daiheiyo Club Minori Course in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday. [Getty Images]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/11/08/news-p.v1.20261108.2ce2da5544924ae0ad2684e68cb404d3_P1.jpg)
Sakuma posted a bogey-free 8-under 64 in the final round to complete her comeback. She had entered the day tied fifth, three strokes behind the leader, and closed at 20-under 268 to win by four shots.
Sakuma picked up birdies on the par-5 2nd and par-4 6th on the front nine, then turned dominant on the back. She birdied five consecutive holes from the 11th through the 15th to surge to the top of the leaderboard, then sealed the win with another birdie on the par-5 17th.
The victory was Sakuma's first on the LPGA Tour. She finished four strokes clear of runner-up Iwai Aki of Japan, who closed at 16-under 272, and collected the winner's check of $315,000. On the Japan LPGA Tour, it was her fifth win of the season and ninth of her career.
Sakuma's triumph gave Japanese players three victories in four events on the LPGA Tour's fall Asian swing. Yoshida Yuri won the BMW Ladies Championship and Yamashita Miyu took the Maybank Championship before Sakuma claimed the title Sunday. Yin Ruoning of China won the fourth event, the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
