Yin birdies late to beat Choi by one at Buick LPGA Shanghai

Ruoning Yin broke a back-nine tie with a birdie on the 16th hole and won the Buick LPGA Shanghai by one stroke Sunday, closing with a four-under 68 to finish at 11-under 277.

Hye-Jin Choi, who led after each of the first three rounds, finished second at 10 under after a final-round 71 at Sheshan Golf Club. Yin's seventh LPGA Tour victory was her second at the Shanghai tournament, which she also won in 2024.

The finish turned on a short putt after a long stretch without separation. Yin and Choi were tied after 10 holes and remained level through the 15th, according to the Associated Press report carried by the LPGA. Yin missed a birdie attempt from about 10 feet on 15, then converted from four feet on the next hole to take the lead.

Choi had started the final round one stroke ahead. Her advantage had been larger earlier in the week: three strokes after the opening round and two after the second. She was pursuing her first LPGA title since joining the tour in 2022.

Yin recovered from a second-round 74 with a 67 on Saturday and Sunday's 68. Those final two rounds totaled nine under par, enough to reverse the order at the top after Choi's opening 64 had established the early pace.

The official results list Yin's four rounds as 68, 74, 67 and 68. Choi finished with rounds of 64, 74, 69 and 71 for 278. Amy Yang took third at eight under, three shots behind Yin, with Rio Takeda fourth at seven under and Carlota Ciganda fifth at six under.

The winner earned $480,000 and 500 Race to the CME Globe points for the victory. Jeeno Thitikul, the tournament's 2025 champion, finished tied for eighth at three under after a closing 69. Alison Lee and A Lim Kim shared sixth at five under.

Yin's control from tee to green helped her manage the closing round. GOLF.com reported that she hit all 14 fairways Sunday and led the field for the week with 55 greens in regulation out of 72. She made five birdies and one bogey in the final round, including two birdies over the last three holes.

The win adds to a career that includes the 2023 Women's PGA Championship. The LPGA's Asian schedule continues Thursday with the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam-gun, South Korea, followed by events in Malaysia and Japan.