JAPAN’S Akie Iwai became the 10th Rolex First Time Winner of the 2025 LPGA Tour season with a four-stroke victory at The Standard Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club on Sunday.
With a four-round total of 24-under-par 264 (67-67-64-66), Iwai joined her twin sister Chisato as a rookie winner in 2025.
American Gurleen Kaur finished a career-best second on 20-under-par 268 (65-68-70-65), one shot clear of Chisato (69-70-66-64) and Sweden’s Linn Grant (66-71-65-67). 2025 Amundi Evian Championship winner Grace Kim of Australia was sole fourth on 18-under-par 270 (68-65-67-70).
Starting the final round with a two-shot lead over Kim, Iwai was the picture of steadiness as she notched six birdies on a blemish-free scorecard. The 23-year-old from Saitama birdied her last two holes to pull away from the pack, picking up a cheque for US$300,000 to take her season earnings past the US$1 million (RM4.2m) mark.
Playing her first season on the LPGA Tour after earning her card with a tied fifth finish at Final Qualifying last December, Iwai had second-place finishes at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April. The six-time Japan LPGA Tour winner watched her sister win in Mexico in May, and has now joined her as an LPGA Tour winner.
Iwai is the fifth player from Japan to win on the LPGA Tour in 2025, the most ever in a single season, following Chisato (MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba), Rio Takeda (Blue Bay LPGA), Mao Saigo (The Chevron Championship) and Miyu Yamashita (AIG Women’s Open). All are LPGA Tour rookies except for Saigo.
“So many Japanese players won this year, so that inspired me. Everybody played well this year, so everything inspired me to play better,” said Iwai, who is a minute older than her sister.
The Iwai twins join Jessica and Nelly Korda, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, and Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam, as sisters who have won on the LPGA Tour.
Dating back to 1972, The Standard Portland Classic is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour outside of the Majors.
The LPGA Tour will next head north to Canada for the CPKC Women’s Open at Mississauga Golf & Country Club in Ontario, where American Lauren Coughlin will seek to defend her title. – LPGA
