Akie Iwai of Japan shoots 64 in Portland to take lead in bid for first LPGA Tour title

Washington Post

9 hours ago

PORTLAND, Ore. — Akie Iwai of Japan eagled the fifth hole and birdied the other three par 5s at Columbia Edgewater, shooting an 8-under 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead in The Standard Portland Classic.
Iwai is trying to join twin sister Chisato as an LPGA Tour winner this year after second-place finishes in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April.
She put on a ball-striking exhibition Saturday in mostly calm conditions on the tree-lined course, hitting to 3 feet to set up the eagle and twice to a foot for birdie — the last on the par-4 18th to get to 18-under 198.
'My style, my golf style, is aggressive,' she said. 'That's why no change this week. Also, aim to the pin — boom! boom! Every shot, every hole. That's it.'
Grace Kim of Australia was second after a 67. She holed a 156-yard shot for eagle from the left rough on the par-4 17th.
'I was trying to see if I could get a drop,' Kim said. 'I wasn't entirely over the sprinkler-head boxes so you knew I just had to hit it. Leaked right again. I was like, `Oh, please get through the rough.' Somehow went in the hole, so I guess a little bit of luck in there.'
Linn Grant was 14 under after a 65. The Swede won the 2023 Dana Open for her lone LPGA Tour title.
'Tried to go out and just be, I wouldn't say happy, but just accepting of whatever today would bring,' Grant said. 'I think I played very mature and just had a lot of fun.'
Gurleen Kaur had a 70 to get to 13 under, and Aditi Ashok (65) was another stroke back with Gina Kim (67).
Chisato Iwai — the winner in Mexico at Mayakoba in May — was in the group at 11 under after a 66. She also eagled the fifth hole.
Haeran Ryu, at No. 9 in the world one of only two top-10 players in the field, also was 11 under. She had a hole-in-one on the 177-yard 16th in a 67.
Akie Iwai dropped a stroke on the par-3 second, then played a five-hole stretch in 5 under. She hit her second shot to 3 feet to set up the eagle, then hit to a foot on the par-4 sixth.
On the back nine, she birdied three of the first four holes, two of them par 5s, then hit a 152-yard shot to a foot on 18.
Two-time champion Brooke Henderson, a stroke back after an opening 65, followed a second-round 73 with a 68 to get to 10 under. The Canadian star is winless since January 2023.
Second-round leader Jeongeun Lee5 also was 10 under. She shot 74.
Amateur Kiara Romero was 8 under after a 72. The University of Oregon star won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior and 2025 Big Ten title.
The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf