Ayuka Murata wins first pro title as typhoon cancels Salonpas Ladies Open finale in Japan

A winner crowned without a final round

The Salonpas Ladies Open in Japan produced a first-time professional champion on 25 October 2026, even though no one played the scheduled final 18 holes. Officials cancelled Sunday's round at 8:30 a.m. local time because of severe weather associated with Typhoon No. 30. With the event reduced from 54 to 36 holes, 21-year-old Ayuka Murata's seven-under 137 became the winning total.

Played from 23 to 25 October at Wakagi Golf Club in Takeo, Saga Prefecture, the event was the 17th stop of the JLPGA Step Up Tour season. It was Murata's first professional triumph in her third season as a pro.

Her lead was built on a bogey-free 36 holes

Murata posted rounds of 69 and 68 on the par-72 layout. Across those two days she did not record a single bogey. Four birdies in Saturday's second round moved her into the outright lead, with a particularly influential pair coming at holes 13 and 14. On the 13th, her approach finished around 1.6 metres from the flag; at the par-5 14th, a wedge left a putt of roughly 1.2 metres.

The improvement was the product of work away from the scoreboard. Murata told the JLPGA that a driver change had helped her hit more fairways, while swing adjustments and strength training had added an estimated 15 yards to her distance, changing how she approached longer holes.

The field was close enough for a genuine final-round contest

Li Hana finished alone in second at six under, a single stroke behind Murata. Kanako Ishida, Rika Yabuta, Mirai Tamura and Miyu Morimura shared third at five under. The tournament's ¥20 million purse included a published ¥3.6 million first prize.

Those margins make the weather decision central to the story. The chasing players were close enough to make a Sunday comeback plausible, but the result was determined by the 36 holes already completed rather than a resumed round or a playoff.

A landmark with mixed feelings

The Osaka-born golfer had turned 21 on 13 October. She told the association that she would have preferred to win after playing all three days, and learned the result while waiting in a car when a fellow player sent congratulations. The title also reversed a difficult run: she had missed the cut in both of her previous October starts.

Murata did not need a speculative forecast to put herself in position. Two disciplined, bogey-free rounds secured the lead before the storm arrived. With four Step Up Tour events still to come, she now wants to repeat the feat over the complete scheduled distance.

Verified against the JLPGA's official 25 October report and 36-hole results: JLPGA report · official leaderboard. Image is a generic archival golf photo, not a picture of Murata or the event.