Portland, Oregon.At Columbia Edgewater, Akie Iwai finished with a 6-under 66 to win The Standard Portland Classic by four strokes, joining twin sister Chisato as the rookie LPGA Tour winner.
Akie Iwai ran an 18-footer on the last hole before Chisato rushed on the green and doused her with champagne, capping the bogey-free round with birdies on the last two holes.
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After taking home six victories on the JLPGA Tour, the 23-year-old Japanese player made her LPGA Tour debut.
She witnessed her sister win at Mayakoba in Mexico in May after finishing second in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April. Chisato Iwai tied for third place on Sunday with a 64, five strokes behind.
According to Akie Iwai, this year is particularly noteworthy for us.
Their parents took part in the triumph.
Oh, Akie Iwai exclaimed when I noticed my mother in tears.
After her sister, Rio Takeda, Mao Saigo, and Miyu Yamashita, she is the fifth Japanese player to win this season.
“I was inspired because so many Japanese people won this year,” Akie Iwai stated.
They join Jessica and Nelly Korda, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, and Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam as the fourth sister pair to win on the LPGA Tour.
The winner’s score on the tree-lined course was 24-under 264. She fired a 64 on Saturday to lead by two strokes going into the final round after opening with back-to-back 67s.
Gurleen Kaur, an American, finished in second place with a career-high score of 65.
“I find it really exciting,” Kaur remarked. We’re thrilled to be playing in Canada next week, where the field will be stronger. moving forward with that positive enthusiasm.
At 19 under, Linn Grant of Sweden joined Chisato Iwai with a score of 67. After a 70, Grace Kim of Australia was 18 years old.
In her first tour appearance, amateur Kiara Romero shot a 64 to tie for eighth at 16 under. The player from the University of Oregon won the 2025 Big Ten championship and the 2023 U.S. Girls Junior championship.
Romero remarked, “It feels great to just play really well at my first LPGA event.”I feel a lot more confident heading into the school year because of this. Here are all the Ducks supporters. It meant a lot to have a successful week because we had a large crowd and many people encouraging me.”
With a history dating back to 1972, the tournament is the LPGA Tour’s longest running event outside of the majors.
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