Defending AIG Women’s Open Champion Miyu Yamashita Joins Tommy Fleetwood at Royal Birkdale

Miyu Yamashita may not be competing at The Open this week, but that didn't stop the reigning AIG Women's Open champion from getting in on the major-championship fun.

Yamashita was among the featured players in Tuesday's inaugural Heroes Classic at Royal Birkdale, teeing it up alongside Tommy Fleetwood, rugby star Bryan Habana and a host of golf's biggest names.

It also led to a cool little crossover moment with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The two shared a brief interaction during the exhibition, giving fans a rare glimpse of the reigning men's and women's major champions crossing paths ahead of tournament play.

Scheffler captained one of the featured teams in the Heroes Classic, and his squad included rising Spanish star Paula Martín Sampedro. The Stanford standout enjoyed a memorable Open Championship debut last week, finishing T-8 to earn the Smyth Salver award as last year's AIG low amateur.

It's hard to argue with a format that puts talented players like Yamashita and Fleetwood together—it's unexpected but makes perfect sense. Golf is simply more fun when its biggest stars share the spotlight, and if the Heroes Classic is a glimpse of more crossover and playful, low-stakes mixed-team events to come, we're all for it.