LPGA Tour - 2026 Maybank Championship: Yamashita Aims to Defend Her Title in Kuala Lumpur

The 2026 LPGA Tour Maybank Championship will be held from Thursday, October 29, through Sunday, November 1, on the West Course at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. This marks the fourth edition of the 72-hole stroke play tournament and the LPGA Tour’s return to Malaysia as part of the Fall Asian Series. The prize purse is $3.0 million, with the winner receiving $450,000. The field consists of 78 players, including ten sponsor invites. The defending champion is Miyu Yamashita.

Here you’ll find the tee times and leaderboard for the 2026 LPGA Tour Maybank Championship.

Course Analysis of the LPGA Tour Maybank Championship

The West Course is 5,977 meters long and is a par-72 layout. The 18 holes consist of four par-3s, ten par-4s, and four par-5s. The longest hole is No. 18, a 481-meter par-5. The shortest hole is No. 11, a Par-3 measuring 133 meters. The shortest Par-5 is No. 3 at 429 meters. The longest Par-4 is No. 12 at 398 meters, and the longest Par-3 is No. 15 at 170 meters.

From an editorial perspective, the short par-4s on holes 16 and 17—at 304 and 305 meters—offer opportunities for long-hitting female golfers to attack the green. The four par-5s, ranging from 429 to 481 meters, present Birdie opportunities but require a precise second shot. Hole 12, as the longest par-4, and Hole 15, as the longest par-3, serve as the course’s true tests.

Defending Champion and Tournament History

The Maybank Championship was first held in 2023. Celine Boutier won the inaugural tournament in a playoff; in 2024, Ruoning Yin emerged victorious; and in 2025, Miyu Yamashita won on her tournament debut, also in a playoff. Yamashita was named the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year that same year. This season, she won the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and the CPKC Women’s Open. Ranked fourth in the Rolex World Rankings, she is the second-highest-ranked player in the field.

The Favorites: Form and Course Familiarity

Haeran Ryu is No. 3 in the Rolex World Rankings and the highest-ranked player in the field. This season, she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship. Ruoning Yin (No. 5 in the Rolex Rankings) won the Buick LPGA Shanghai and the FM Championship this season. As the 2024 champion, she returns to Kuala Lumpur as one of the title contenders.

Lottie Woad (Rolex No. 7) won the 2026 Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G. The Englishwoman is among the highest-ranked players in the field. Hannah Green (Rolex Rank 10) won the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro this season. With two wins this season, she is among the most successful players in the field. Lydia Ko (Rolex Rank 14), one of the best-known players in the field, is also among the favorites.

Natasha Oon is the “local hero” of the field. A native of Kuala Lumpur, she attended San Jose State and will be a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2026. In her 2023 appearance at the Maybank Championship, she finished 52nd at three under par. With Mirabel Ting, Genevieve Ling, Kelly Tan, and Liyana Durisic, Malaysia has five players in the field.

Prize Money, Field Strength, and Ranking Implications

The tournament offers a total purse of $3.0 million, with the winner taking home $450,000. The field includes 21 players from the top 50 of the Rolex World Rankings, including six from the top 10. Eight of the season’s 29 rookies are in the field.

The main storyline is whether Yamashita can defend her title against strong competition, including Ryu, Yin, Woad, and Green from the top 10 of the Rolex World Rankings. The second storyline is the home tournament for Natasha Oon and the Malaysian competitors. Mirabel Ting has already secured her LPGA Tour card for 2027.