Yuri Yoshida wins in South Korea for her first LPGA Tour victory

HAENAM, South Korea (AP) — Yuri Yoshida won the LPGA South Korea tournament holding off Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi in a close finish at Pine Beach Golf Links on Sunday.

It was Yoshida's first LPGA Tour victory and came in dramatic finale as both overnight leader Haeran Ryu and Yoshida bogeyed the final hole leaving the Japanese player ahead by one stoke and a four-round total of 17-under 271.

Yoshida was four shots off the pace going into Sunday’s final round but lit up the front nine with an eagle at the par-5 second, followed by three consecutive birdies to be 5-under 31 at the turn. Bogey’s at the 15th and 18th was offset by a crucial birdie at the 17th which gave the 26-year-old the buffer she needed.

Ryu led the tournament by four strokes going into the final round, but couldn’t find the same rhythm on Sunday as she shot a 73 to finish at 16-under 272.

The South Korean player made 15 consecutive pars before dropping a crucial shot at the par-4 16th which handed back Yoshida’s one-shot advantage.

Both player's made birdies at the 17th, but a costly miss for Ryu at the 18th allowed Yoshida to clinch it, despite the Japanese golfer also making bogey.

Hye-Jin Choi, who was in a tie for second coming in the final round, stayed in contention throughout Sunday and mixed four birdies with a lone bogey to finish at 16-under 272, and a shot behind Yoshida in a tie for second with Ryu.

Choi is still looking for her first victory in 125 career LPGA Tour starts as a member. She has held or shared a 54-hole lead five times in her LPGA career without converting it into a win.

Last week in Shanghai, Choi was runner-up by one stroke to China’s Ruoning Yin after the South Korean golfer led after each of the first three rounds.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim, who ended a five-year victory drought in 2025 with a win last year in South Korea, shot 70 Sunday and finished at 2-under 286 and a tie for 55th.

In its late-season Asian swing, the LPGA Tour moves to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week for the Maybank Championship, the third of four events.

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Yuri Yoshida of Japan gets showered with champagne on the 18th green after her win following the final round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at the Pine Beach Golf Links, in Haenam, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Haeran Ryu of South Korea walks on the 18th hole during the final round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at the Pine Beach Golf Links, in Haenam, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea reacts as she miss a putt at 18th hole during the final round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at the Pine Beach Golf Links, in Haenam, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Yuri Yoshida of Japan celebrates with the winner's trophy following the final round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at the Pine Beach Golf Links, in Haenam, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Polls opened in Serbia on Sunday for a parliamentary election that is seen as a showdown between the Balkan country's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic and a movement of university students who led protests against him for almost two years.

Though Serbia's 6.4 million voters get to choose from 18 parties hoping to enter the 250-member Parliament, the election has taken shape as a referendum between Vucic's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and the youth-backed Students' List.

The main contenders are believed to be polling neck-and-neck, making Sunday's election the most uncertain in recent years. Turnout is expected to be high and could push most smaller parties below the 3% threshold needed to make it into the assembly.

While Vucic has routinely outplayed Serbia's fractured opposition in the past, the leaderless youth movement has proved to be a tough opponent that rattled his firm grip on power in Serbia like no one else could in the past 14 years since his party took office.

A students' victory likely would resonate beyond Serbia as countries across Europe face youth and student protests.

Voters queued at polling places around the country early Sunday, something Ilija Srdanovic, a physician who is the first of 250 candidates for the youth movement, said heralded "record turnout in Serbia’s recent history.”

“I hope that this day will pass in a democratic atmosphere and in peace and that we will legitimately choose a new government in Serbia,” Srdanovic said after voting in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad.

Opponents of Vucic as well as some independent monitoring groups have warned of potential irregularities in the voting process.

Asked about whether voters should gather outside polling stations in the evening to “guard ballots,” Srdanovic said that “this evening, when we present our results, we will give recommendations what to do next.”

Recent elections have been marred by irregularities and the European Union is watching closely the conduct of Sunday's vote in a candidate nation for the bloc's membership.

Both international and local election monitors already have expressed concern about the safety and fairness of an election campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control over the media and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks against activists.

Local elections earlier this year in 10 municipalities in Serbia saw violent attacks on journalists and activists. The previous parliamentary vote in 2023 was followed by opposition protests alleging fraud.

If his SNS party wins the most votes, Vucic will become the prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president. He resigned the presidency last month to lead the campaign.

The populists' popularity has eroded since 16 people were killed two years ago when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia's north, setting off a wave of youth protests that demanded accountability for the disaster and justice for the victims.

The anger reflected widespread accusations of high-level corruption and cronyism. Protesters said that rampant graft led to negligence during renovation work at the Novi Sad station, and eventually to the canopy collapse.

Despite the protests, Vucic retains considerable support among Serbia's voters. Admirers view him as a capable leader who can steer the nation through global uncertainties — the image that was carefully crafted by the mainstream media.

The newly formed Students' List movement differs from any of the political organizations in Serbia. It is shaped by university students but none of them are actually on the list. Instead, the candidates are little known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.

This approach was meant to counter Vucic's one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity. The “we know how” message during the campaign promised a non-partisan effort to rebuild Serbia's economy and democracy after a change of government.

With their youthful energy, the students have attracted voters who are disillusioned with local politicians. Vilified by pro-government media, students have cycled and walked through the country to reach voters in rural areas — Vucic's traditional strongholds.

Election surveys have come up with varied results while both camps say they are ahead. Some analysts fear postelection instability in case of a close result.

Vucic has said that his side would concede defeat if it lost the vote. But he has also warned that any protests that might erupt to claim fraud in case of his party's triumph would be immediately quashed.

The state election commission is not expected to release the official tally before Monday.

Magda Anastasijevic, the Eastern Europe analyst for the conflict monitor ACLED, said that electoral violence has been on the rise in Serbia recently, and could escalate, "particularly if the results are disputed."

People wait outside a polling station before the start of voting in a parliamentary election in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Students' List leader Ilija Srdanovic casts his vote in a parliamentary election in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), waits along with his wife Tamara to vote in a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

People enter a polling station that just opened its doors to cast their votes in a parliamentary election in Novi Sad, Serbia, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic, center, listens to the Serbian national anthem with supporters during a pre-election rally of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party ahead of the early parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 25, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo)

People shine the lights of their mobile phones and light flares during the final "Student List – Students Win" rally ahead of a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic gestures during a pre-election rally of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party ahead of the early parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 25, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo)

A young man holds a Serbian flag as people gather for the final "Student List – Students Win" rally ahead of a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)