A pride battle between South Korea and Japan is set to unfold at the Toto Japan Classic, the final event of the 2026 LPGA Tour's autumn Asian Swing.

Running from November 5 to 8 at the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course (par 72) in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, the Toto Japan Classic features 78 players (43 from the LPGA Tour and 35 from the JLPGA Tour) competing with no cut for a winner's purse of $315,000 (approx. 424 million won).

The Toto Japan Classic is the final stop of the Asian Swing, which followed the Buick LPGA Shanghai (China), the BMW Ladies Championship (South Korea), and the Maybank Championship (Malaysia) held in October.

Following this tournament, the players will return to the United States for The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and the CME Group Tour Championship, bringing this season's LPGA Tour to a close.

A total of nine South Korean players will compete in the Toto Japan Classic, comprising seven from the LPGA Tour (Kim Hyo-joo, Lee Mi-hyang, Chun In-gee, Hwang You-min, Kang Min-ji, Joo Su-bin, and Ko Jin-young) and two from the JLPGA Tour (Shin Ji-yai and Lee Min-young).

South Korean players have yet to secure a victory in the autumn Asian Swing this season.

At the Buick LPGA Shanghai, Choi Hye-jin allowed a comeback in the final round and handed the title to Yin Ruoning (China), while at the BMW Ladies Championship, Yoo Hae-ran and Choi Hye-jin finished tied for second, one stroke behind Yuri Yoshida (Japan).

Furthermore, at the Maybank Championship, amid the disappointment of Yoo Hae-ran withdrawing due to a finger injury, Japan's Miyu Yamashita claimed her third win of the season. Across the three autumn Asian Swing events so far, South Korea has been outperformed by Japan (two wins) and China (one win).


For South Korea, world number six Kim Hyo-joo will make another bid for her third win of the season and the 10th of her career.

After winning back-to-back at the Firzel Founders Cup and the Ford Championship in March, Kim Hyo-joo has struggled to add to her win tally, finishing as runner-up twice at the Dow Championship in June and the FM Championship in August.

Lee Mi-hyang (world number 45), who is competing alongside her, has a strong drive for her second win of the season as her victory at the Blue Bay LPGA in March remains her only top-10 finish this year.

In addition, an urgent push is needed for Hwang You-min (53rd), Kang Min-ji (65th), Joo Su-bin (62nd), and Ko Jin-young (92nd) as securing qualification for the CME Group Tour Championship—limited to the top 60 players in the world rankings—remains a pressing task.

For Japan, Yamashita stands out, having debuted on the LPGA stage last year with two wins and adding three more this season to bring her total to five victories.

If Yamashita, who won the preceding Maybank Championship, claims the top spot here, she will tie for the most multiple wins alongside Nelly Korda (USA) and Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand), who each have four.

Additionally, with Korda and Yoo Hae-ran failing to meet the minimum round requirement, Yamashita could also lock up the scoring title (the Vare Trophy).

(Photo provided by the BMW Ladies Championship Organizing Committee, Yonhap News)