Iwai leads the Lotte Championship: 64 strokes and Japanese dominance on the LPGA

Akie Iwai Leads the Lotte Championship with an Impressive Round

HONOLULU – Akie Iwai showcased her prowess on the golf course by signing a card of 64 strokes, eight under par, in the first round of the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship, held at Hoakalei Country Club. The Japanese golfer took advantage of the favorable morning conditions to excel in the tournament, playing alongside her twin sister, Chisato.

“It was fun. I’m looking forward to tomorrow too,” Akie commented.

Akie Iwai

The Iwai sisters, both 23 years old and making their debut on the circuit this year, have achieved significant victories in their young careers. Chisato won in Mayakoba, Mexico, in May, while Akie triumphed at the Portland Classic in August. In this inaugural round, Akie started strong, accumulating birdies in three of the first four holes. She continued with six additional birdies in nine holes, although she finished with a bogey on the ninth hole, a par 3. Chisato, for her part, completed the round with a score of 70 strokes. Nasa Hataoka, also from Japan, was one stroke behind Akie, with a card of 65, matched by Gabriela Ruffels of Australia and Peiyun Chien of Taiwan.

“We played at 7:30 in the morning and the wind wasn’t blowing. I think the wind is this golf course’s defense, so having a tee time in the afternoon tomorrow, I think it’s going to be a little trickier and it could be harder to shoot a lower number,” Ruffels explained.

Gabriela Ruffels

The current champion, A Lim Kim of South Korea, recorded the best round of the afternoon session, with four consecutive birdies on the back nine, finishing with 66 strokes. Thai players Patty Tavatanakit and Pornanong Phatlum also shot 66 strokes in the morning session. Nelly Korda started with 69 strokes in the afternoon, including birdies on the first three holes, but offset two bogeys with two additional birdies.

“A round with ups and downs, but overall, happy to finish at 3 under par. Definitely, there’s a long way to go to be in contention,” Korda commented.

Nelly Korda

After a season with seven victories, Korda still hasn’t achieved any this year and has ceded her number 1 position to Jeeno Thitikul. The circuit has seen a different winner in each of the 24 official tournaments this year. Charley Hull tied Korda with 69 strokes. Hull won the Kroger Queen City Championship three weeks ago in Ohio. Brooke Henderson, winner at Ko Olina in 2018 and 2019, completed the round with 70 strokes in the afternoon. Following this event, the LPGA Tour will move to Asia for a series of tournaments over five consecutive weeks, to be held in Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan.