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Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Japanese rookie joins twin sister as LPGA Tour champ
Akie Iwai has joined twin sister Chisato as a rookie LPGA Tour champion at Columbia Edgewater, closing with a six-under 66 for a four-stroke victory in The Standard Portland Classic. The 23-year-old Japanese capped her bogey-free round with birdies on the final two holes, running in an 18-footer on the last before Chisato rushed on the green and sprayed her with champagne. Akie Iwai broke through in her first season on the LPGA Tour after winning six times on the JLPGA Tour. She had second-place finishes in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April, then watched her sister win at Mayakoba in May in Mexico. On Sunday, Chisato Iwai shot a 64 to tie for third, five strokes back. The winner finished at 24-under 264 on the tree-lined course. She opened with consecutive 67s, then shot a 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round. Akie Iwai is the fifth player from Japan to win this season, following her sister, Rio Takeda, Mao Saigo and Miyu Yamashita. "This is a special year for us," Akie Iwai said. "When I saw my mom crying, oh. "So many Japanese people this year won, so inspired me." They are the fourth set of sisters to win on the LPGA Tour, joining Jessica and Nelly Korda, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn and Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam. American Gurleen Kaur was a career-best second, closing with a 65. Linn Grant of Sweden had a 67 to join Chisato Iwai at 19 under, while Grace Kim (70) - who started the round in second - finished fifth at 18 under as the best-placed Australian. Cassie Porter (67) was three shots further back, with fellow Aussies Robyn Choi (65) 14 under and Gabriela Ruffels (70) eight under. American amateur Kiara Romero shot a 64 to tie for seventh at 16 under in her first tour start. "It feels great to just play really well my first LPGA event," Romero said. "Kind of gives me a lot of confidence going into the school year ..." The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972. With AAP.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Akie Iwai of Japan shoots 64 in Portland to take lead in bid for first LPGA Tour title
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. ___ AP golf:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Akie Iwai of Japan shoots 64 in Portland to take lead in bid for first LPGA Tour title
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — 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. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lee5 takes Portland Classic lead. Inkster falls shot short in bid to make cut at age 65
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jeongeun Lee5 shot a 6-under 67 on Friday to take the lead in The Standard Portland Classic, while 65-year-old Juli Inkster fell short in her bid to become the oldest player to make a cut in LPGA Tour history. Lee5, the 36-year-old South Korean player, had a 12-under 132 total at Columbia Edgewater. Winless on the LPGA Tour, she birdied the final five holes on her front nine in the morning round. 'When we are playing well, we expect it to continue,' Lee5 said. 'So, I want to really concentrate and focus going into the weekend. The past two rounds I had great energy, good shots, and good putts.' Inkster, the Hall of Famer who won the 1999 event, followed her opening 69 with a 74 to miss the cut by a stroke. JoAnne Carner was 64 when she made the cut in the 2004 Chick Fil-A Charity Championship. 'Wasn't very inspiring,' Inkster said. 'I didn't drive the ball as well as I did yesterday. Kind of a grind out there today.' She played to prepare for the U.S. Senior Women's Open next week. Grace Kim of Australia and Gurleen Kaur of the United States were a stroke back on the tree-lined course. Kim had a 65, and Kaur shot 68. Akie Iwai had her second straight 67 to join Pajaree Anannarukarn (67) and Ashleigh Buhai (68) at 10 under. Amateur Kiara Romero had a 69 to get to 8 under. The University of Oregon star won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior and 2025 Big Ten title. 'It feels really good just to see my game match up against some of these pros, just getting more comfortable playing in front of crowds and stuff,' Romero said. 'My first time playing in front of a big crowd I kind of got a little bit shaken up and was nervous out there.' Two-time champion Brooke Henderson, a stroke back after an opening 65, had a 73 to fall to 6 under. The Canadian star is winless since January 2023 and has dropped to 52nd in the world. First-round leader Adela Cernousek followed her opening 64 with a 75 to drop to 5 under. Angel Yin, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 7, was 2 under after a 70. No. 9 Haeran Ryu also was 6 under, shooting 72. Defending champion Moriya Jutanugarn missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 74. The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972. ___ AP golf:
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Lee5 takes Portland Classic lead. Inkster falls shot short in bid to make cut at age 65
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jeongeun Lee5 shot a 6-under 67 on Friday to take the lead in The Standard Portland Classic, while 65-year-old Juli Inkster fell short in her bid to become the oldest player to make a cut in LPGA Tour history. Lee5, the 36-year-old South Korean player, had a 12-under 132 total at Columbia Edgewater. Winless on the LPGA Tour, she birdied the final five holes on her front nine in the morning round. 'When we are playing well, we expect it to continue,' Lee5 said. 'So, I want to really concentrate and focus going into the weekend. The past two rounds I had great energy, good shots, and good putts.' Inkster, the Hall of Famer who won the 1999 event, followed her opening 69 with a 74 to miss the cut by a stroke. JoAnne Carner was 64 when she made the cut in the 2004 Chick Fil-A Charity Championship. 'Wasn't very inspiring,' Inkster said. 'I didn't drive the ball as well as I did yesterday. Kind of a grind out there today.' She played to prepare for the U.S. Senior Women's Open next week. Grace Kim of Australia and Gurleen Kaur of the United States were a stroke back on the tree-lined course. Kim had a 65, and Kaur shot 68. Akie Iwai had her second straight 67 to join Pajaree Anannarukarn (67) and Ashleigh Buhai (68) at 10 under. Amateur Kiara Romero had a 69 to get to 8 under. The University of Oregon star won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior and 2025 Big Ten title. 'It feels really good just to see my game match up against some of these pros, just getting more comfortable playing in front of crowds and stuff,' Romero said. 'My first time playing in front of a big crowd I kind of got a little bit shaken up and was nervous out there.' Two-time champion Brooke Henderson, a stroke back after an opening 65, had a 73 to fall to 6 under. The Canadian star is winless since January 2023 and has dropped to 52nd in the world. First-round leader Adela Cernousek followed her opening 64 with a 75 to drop to 5 under. Angel Yin, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 7, was 2 under after a 70. No. 9 Haeran Ryu also was 6 under, shooting 72. Defending champion Moriya Jutanugarn missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 74. The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972. ___ AP golf:
