Miyu Morimura: Ai Miyazato's advice sparked a lead before weather ended her title chance

A final round the rookie never got to play

Japanese rookie Miyu Morimura finished the Salonpas Ladies Open tied for third at five under par on 25 October 2026. Severe weather associated with Typhoon No. 30 forced the cancellation of Sunday's final round at Wakagi Golf Club in Saga Prefecture. The JLPGA Step Up Tour event was consequently decided after 36 holes rather than the scheduled 54.

Ayuka Murata won at seven under, two strokes ahead of Morimura. The cancelled round does not tell us what might have happened. It did deny the rookie a chance to test herself in a close contest.

An opening 68 and a lesson from Ai Miyazato

On 23 October, Morimura shot 68 (four under) to share the opening-round lead with Miki Sakai and Rui Hiraoka. In her official JLPGA comments she credited a mental approach discussed with Japanese golf great Ai Miyazato: avoid racing ahead to future outcomes and give full attention to the ball and the immediate shot.

Morimura felt she had applied that idea well across most of her round, despite a disappointing final hole. She also described Wakagi as a course where water hazards come into play at crucial moments, making mental composure and technical execution equally important. For a rookie, the discipline matters because sharing a lead can bring expectations that distract from the next shot.

Her reaction to the cancellation

Speaking after the organisers' decision on 25 October, Morimura said she would have liked to compete in the last round. Having led after the opening day, she wanted to discover how far she could go while genuinely chasing the title.

She reflected on the fact that golfers compete against natural conditions as well as other players. Weather cannot be controlled, and she suggested that good fortune can be part of winning. That is not a claim that Murata's victory was undeserved. Murata had legitimately established a two-round lead and was awarded the trophy on the official results.

The unfinished test

Morimura proved she could produce an opening score good enough to lead a professional event. What remains unknown is whether she would have handled a final-day contest well enough to erase a two-shot deficit. It would be misleading to present a hypothetical comeback as certain.

The more useful takeaway comes from Morimura herself. She said her form had recently improved and that she hoped to make an ambitious push through the few remaining events. Her next full tournament may reveal whether the one-shot-at-a-time focus borrowed from Miyazato can remain effective under the pressure of a final nine.

Verified official sources: JLPGA player comments, 25 October; opening round, 23 October; cancellation and final results. Original summary and analysis, not an interview transcript.

Image: illustrative photograph of a golf ball by a hole; not Morimura and not the venue. Photos2Use / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golf_ball_near_hole.jpg; https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/.