Miyu Yamashita Finished 3rd in the $!

JEANNE SUTHERLAND

NOV 13, 2025

In December of 2024, I wrote a blog about who I would bet on if I were a gambler based on the results of the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Miyu Yamashita had an incredible performance in the tournament and her under par to over par percentage was miles ahead of her competitors. She had 31 birdies to only 4 bogeys. There’s a lot more in the article about playing clean golf and other stats that seem to lead to getting to the next level. Check it out below.

Here’s a link to that article

It’s that time of year again. The final stage is coming up in a few weeks and there are a lot of women getting ready for the competition. Golf is a sport where you hold your future in your hands. Football, basketball, soccer, baseball and volleyball players usually make the move from one level to the next through drafts, free agency and tryouts. Their fate is often in the hands of others. In the game of golf, once you pay the money to enter the qualifying process, your score decides the level of status you’ll earn. Each round is your tryout and no one can argue with the number written beside your name. 

How best to accomplish it? It might be a little late to say, but I’d offer these lessons learned from analyzing past performances. You need to make 1.67 more birdies or shots under par than you do bogeys or shots over par. Birdie to bogey ratio is the number one predictor of success. 

Q: What’s the easiest way to affect that stat? A: Make fewer bogeys. 

Let’s look at the rookie class and how they did in relation to their birdie vs. bogey ration that the displayed at the final stage. I’ll just highlight the rookies who made it on tour through the final stage qualifier.

Miyu Yamashit had a jaw dropping 7.75% of under par strokes to over par strokes. She’s leading the Rookie of the Year standings and is in 2nd place in the Rolex Player of the Year standings.

Chisato Iwai had a 2.75% of birdies to bogeys and is second for Rookie honors and 17th in the Rolex Player standings.

Akie Iwai had a 2.45% ratio of birdies to bogeys and is 4th in Rookie of the Year ranks and 7th in the Rolex Player of the Year standings. 

Let’s jump to the other end of the scale. The lowest percentage to make it through was 1.5% of birdies to bogeys. That was Caley McGinty and Saki Baba. Caley is 14th in Rookie of the Year points and 79th in Player of the Year stats. Saki did slightly better with 9th place and 64th place respectively. It seems as though the birdie to bogey percentage is not only a way to get to the tour, but a way to keep your card, too!

What does this mean to you as a player? Systems, such as DECADE will help you find a strategy that allows for fewer bogeys. A solid short game that holds up on any surface under the greatest of pressure is important! The ability to have great distance control on the greens is important to get rid of the unforced error of 3-putts. Finally, it’s a mindset of patience and recognizing that opportunities to score will come to you, but if you force them, you’ll pay.