Japan’s YUri Yoshida Outlasts International Field To Qualify For 2026 U.S. Women’s Open
By Steve Derderian sderderian@massgolf.org
MARLBOROUGH, Massachusetts (May 11, 2026) – Marlborough Country Club does not let a player walk a flat line for long, and neither does U.S. Women’s Open qualifying.
Across 36 holes Monday, Marlborough Country Club’s rolling hills mirrored the play itself, with uneven lies, shifting elevations and a leaderboard of international names that required constant readjustment. It all led to a closing stretch that finally allowed one player to create separation. That honor belonged to Yuri Yoshida, the 26-year-old from Japan who arrived in Massachusetts this weekend after a disappointing missed cut at the Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey but left the Northeast with the lone qualifying spot up for grabs for next month’s U.S. Women’s Open at iconic Riviera Country Club.
Yoshida overtook local favorite Alexa Pano late, denying the Westborough-born LPGA winner a home-state qualifying moment with a winning tally of 7-under-par 137. While this event offers no points for style, the Japanese pro, clad from head to toe in a mix of Tommy Hilfiger and Bridgestone apparel, saved her highlight moments for the finish. She nearly aced the par-3 7th with a 9-iron that settled within a foot, then closed in style on No. 9, leaving the pin in and pouring in a 40-foot putt from well left of the hole to secure her ticket to iconic Riviera.
“Perfect speed. Line, roll, all perfect,” Yoshida, a four-time winner on the LPGA of Japan Tour, said of the exclamation point she put on a brilliant and breezy double loop at Marlborough.
Pano, the Westborough-born LPGA winner, gave the qualifier its local pull with her father, Rick, on the bag and a sharp afternoon charge of her own. She opened with a 1-under 71, which included an impressive birdie putt from off the green on the nearly drivable, ski-slope-shaped par-4 10th. After lunch, she began her second round with four straight birdies on the back nine to put herself in position to advance. But as Yoshida surged, Pano missed three straight par saves on Nos. 18, 1 and 2, all costly in a one-spot qualifier. She finished as first alternate at 4-under 140.
Currently 81st in the Rolex LPGA rankings, Pano had to play her way into the championship after landing outside the top 75 through March 23. And while Monday wasn’t the finish she was seeking, her window to Riviera isn’t shut. If Yoshida withdraws, Pano would automatically get her spot. The next Rolex Rankings cutoff, top 75 not otherwise exempt, is May 25, and she’ll have a chance to move into the field with a strong performance or victory in the Kroger Queen City Championship this week in Cincinnati.
Yoshida also found some trouble around the turn, making bogey on the 18th, and going far right off the tee on the 1st. After an incredible scramble for par, she surged past Pano with birdies on No. 2 and No. 3, and didn’t look back from there.
Yoshida has played in four U.S. Women’s Opens since 2019, with a top finish of T51 in 2024 at Lancaster Country Club. “I didn’t play in it last year, and I am really excited now,” Yoshida added.
As for Riviera, Yoshida said she has played a practice round there previously and expects a different test from Marlborough, with more length and larger, undulating greens. But after earning her way there with one final burst on Monday, her goal for the championship is refreshingly simple.
Sophie Thai (Los Altos, CA) finished as low amateur with consecutive rounds of 76 (+8 total). Thai, an All-Ivy League standout for Dartmouth College, is set to graduate next month. She edged out local phenom Emma Abramson (Sandwich, MA), of Williams College, who shot 73 in the morning, followed by an 80 to finish +9.
Yoshida has played in the Bay State in previous years, appearing in the FM Championship at TPC Boston twice. In order, she placed T67 during her rookie season and missed the cut last season.
The uphill par-3 18th hole at Marlborough is challenging no matter who is playing it, and Monday proved that applies to an elite field such as this. It was the hardest hole on the course, yielding just one birdie (Canada’s Sarah-Eve Rheaume) and collecting 23 bogeys and 7 doubles for a stroke average of 3.69.
COMPLETE LIST OF QUALIFIERS AND ALTERNATES FROM MARLBOROUGH CC
QUALIFIER (Name, City, Score)
Yuri Yoshida, Japan (-7) 70-67–137
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Alexa Pano, Westborough, MA; (-4) 71-69–140
Aditi Ashok, India; (E) 73-71–144*
**Earned spot with par on 2nd playoff hole
About Marlborough Country Club
If a rocking chair is part of your club’s identity, chances are there’s a pretty good story behind it. At Marlborough Country Club, that goes back to 1982, when Arnold Palmer won the Marlboro Classic and left town with a trophy fit for a king, a prize that now lives on as the inspiration for the club’s alternate logo.
Marlborough’s roots go back even further. The club opened in 1922 with an exhibition featuring Francis Ouimet and Jesse Guilford, and the original nine was carved out of farmland by Wayne Stiles. Geoff Cornish later added the present-day front nine, giving the course two distinct personalities. We explored that history in Golf in Massachusetts, “The Boroughs Still Got It”, while highlighting how the club is leaning into “A New Marlborough”. Now, as the club leans into that theme, it gets another chance to showcase itself on a championship pathway, this time with a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open field on the line.
About The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open
The 2026 United States Women’s Open Championship will mark the 81st playing of the event. The Championship Proper will be contested at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. Established 80 years ago in 1946, the U.S. Women’s Open is the only event to have been recognized as a major by the LPGA since the organization’s founding in 1950.
A total of 1,897 entries were accepted by the United States Golf Association (USGA).
Eligibility & Qualifying: Open to any female professional or amateur whose Handicap Index® does not exceed 2.4. Qualifying, over 36 holes, is conducted at 26 sites from April 20-May 13.
Riviera Country Club has long been one of championship golf’s iconic stages, hosting major winners such as Ben Hogan, Hal Sutton, Steve Elkington, and Hale Irwin, while also serving as the longtime home of the L.A. Open, now the Genesis Invitational, a record 61 times since 1923.
Riviera has previously hosted several major events: 1948 U.S. Open (Ben Hogan); 1983 PGA Championship (Hal Sutton); 1995 PGA Championship (Steve Elkington); and the 1998 U.S. Senior Open (Hale Irwin). The club also hosted the 2017 U.S. Amateur (Doc Redman).
The Country Club (Brookline, MA) has been scheduled to host the 100th U.S. Women’s Open in 2045.
Social Media
For the latest updates on all Mass Golf events, visit MassGolf.org or follow Mass Golf on Facebook, X,Instagram, and YouTube at @PlayMassGolf.
