Staff WriterIf you wanted fireworks on day one of the LOTTE Championship, Akie Iwai lit the fuse. The 24-year-old rookie torched Hoakalei with an 8-under-par 64, stitching together nine birdies, a single bogey, and the kind of ball-striking display that makes golf look more like embroidery than sport.
This was no fluke, either. Iwai has made a habit of starting tournaments like a house on fire. In February, she opened the Honda LPGA Thailand with a 62 and finished runner-up. A month later, she fired another 64 at the CPKC Women’s Open and held the lead before settling for fourth.
Wednesday’s effort in Hawaii marks her third round of 64 or better in 2025 and her fourth time pacing an LPGA Tour event after 18 holes.
“I just have smiling, just have confidence. Yeah, that’s it,” Iwai said, sounding as serene as a monk after a spa day.
The Chasing Pack
Trailing by a single shot are Peiyun Chien, Gabriela Ruffels, and Nasa Hataoka, who all signed for 7-under 65s.
Chien turned in her sharpest opener since March’s Ford Championship, putting together a bogey-free round that looked more IKEA manual than scorecard—straightforward, efficient, and missing nothing. Seventeen greens, 28 putts, and not a single mistake. Not bad for someone who missed the cut here last year.
Ruffels, meanwhile, birdied her first two holes, then strung together four birdies in a five-hole burst on the back nine, proving she’s warming up nicely in her sophomore season. “Second year, I started off pretty good my first year, my rookie year, and then expectations I feel like went up a little bit. I didn’t have a great start to this year, but I feel like things are kind of getting there a little bit more. I’m definitely seeing the improvement and the hard work with my coach. Yeah, I feel like I’m starting to play a bit better and still have a few tournaments left for the rest of the year,” she explained.
And then there’s Hataoka, who looked like she’d mistaken the front nine for a putt-putt course, rolling in birdies on five straight holes. Her only blemish was a bogey at the sixth, but a tidy 25 putts kept her in striking distance.
“They are playing so good. They are good ball-strikers. They are consistent. So, yeah, it was really fun to play with them. I’m looking forward play tomorrow, too,” she said of her pairing with Japanese rookies Rio Takeda and Miyu Yamashita.
Familiar Faces
Defending champion A Lim Kim, never one to fuss, is just two shots back after a smooth 66. “I focus on the same things: On my line and I hit it. That’s all. Because golf is sometimes hard; sometimes easy. That’s not my, that is not in my control, so go through there, right there,” she said, in what could double as both Zen wisdom and life coaching.
Jessica Porvasnik, tied for eighth at 5-under, offered some advice for those chasing promotion on the Epson Tour: “I think just don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Go out there and have fun and whatever happens, happens.”
Allisen Corpuz, carrying the Hawaiian flag this week, was visibly proud of her home state’s growing presence on tour. “It’s so special just to see how strong Hawaii golf has been… It’s just great to see all the Hawai’i girls playing this week. I love to see the trend of having more girls out on tour,” she said.
Even Nelly Korda, back in Hawaii for the first time since 2021, was smiling despite an up-and-down 69. “It’s great to be back in Hawaii. The weather is always amazing.
Everyone is very friendly and just being back here, it’s nice to play in front of the Hawaiian fans. A little bit of an up-and-down round, but overall, you know, happy to get it in at 3-under par. Definitely have a long way to go to get in contention.”
Setting the Stage
The LOTTE Championship has a habit of delivering low numbers, with Lydia Ko’s 72-hole record of 260 from 2021 still looming like a storm cloud over the field.
With Iwai’s irons sharper than a sushi chef’s knife and a chasing pack stacked with proven winners, the leaderboard already looks like a logjam.
Whether the Japanese rookie can keep her foot on the gas remains to be seen. But if her mantra of “smiling and confidence” holds true, don’t be surprised if she’s the one grinning widest come Sunday in Hawaii.
