Sakura Koiwai
Sakura Koiwai (小祝 さくら, Koiwai Sakura) (born 15 April 1998) is a Japanese professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour where she has nine victories.[1]
| Sakura Koiwai 小祝 さくら | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | 15 April 1998 Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, Japan | ||||
| Height | 158 cm (5 ft 2 in) | ||||
| Sporting nationality |  Japan | ||||
| Career | |||||
| Turned professional | 2017 | ||||
| Current tour(s) | LPGA of Japan Tour (joined 2017) | ||||
| Professional wins | 9 | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 9 | ||||
| Best results in LPGA major championships | |||||
| Chevron Championship | DNP | ||||
| Women's PGA C'ship | DNP | ||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T20: 2022 | ||||
| Women's British Open | DNP | ||||
| Evian Championship | DNP | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
Career
Koiwai was born in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido in 1998 and started playing golf when she was 8 years old.[1] She won the Hokkaido Amateur Championship in 2014 and 2016.[2]
Koiwai turned professional and joined the LPGA of Japan Tour in 2017. In 2018, she recorded four runner-up finishes to rank 8th on the money list, and won the PGA Rookie of the Year award and the Japan Professional Sports Rookie of the Year award.[3]
She captured the 2019 Samantha Thavasa Girls Collection Ladies Tournament for her maiden win on the JLPGA. Her lone victory in 2020 was the Golf5 Ladies.[4]
In 2021, Koiwai recorded four wins and three second-place finishes, to finish 3rd on the 2020–21 money list with over 200 million yen in season earnings.[1]
In mid-2021, she rose into the top-50 in the Women's World Golf Rankings for the first time.[5]
Professional wins
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (9)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 Jul 2019 | Samantha Thavasa Girls Collection Ladies Tournament | 66-68-65=199 | −17 | 1 stroke |  Lee Min-young2 |
| 2 | 6 Sep 2020 | Golf5 Ladies | 68-65-66=199 | −17 | 6 strokes | Ayaka Furue Ayake Watanabe |
| 3 | 7 Mar 2021 | Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament | 71-69-66-68=274 | −14 | 1 stroke |  Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu |
| 4 | 21 Mar 2021 | T-Point ENEOS Golf Tournament | 68-68-70=206 | −10 | 2 strokes | Bae Seon-woo Ai Suzuki Tsai Pei-ying |
| 5 | 15 Aug 2021 | NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament | 64-34=98^ | −10 | 2 strokes | Tsai Pei-ying |
| 6 | 22 Aug 2021 | CAT Ladies | 68-70-71=209 | −7 | 2 strokes | Mone Inami Kana Mikashima Sayaka Takahashi |
| 7 | 29 May 2022 | Resort Trust Ladies | 69-67-64-71=271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Nana Suganuma Tsai Pei-ying |
| 8 | 9 Oct 2022 | Stanley Ladies Honda Golf Tournament | 67-67-70=204 | −17 | 1 stroke | Kana Nagai Mao Saigo Nana Suganuma |
| 9 | 9 Jul 2023 | MinebeaMitsumi Ladies Hokkaido Shimbun Cup | 69-68-68-71=276 | −12 | 3 strokes | Lala Anai Erika Kikuchi |
^Tournament shortened due to adverse conditions.
References
- "Member Guide: 小祝 さくら" (in Japanese). LPGA of Japan. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- "Sakura Koiwai – Profile". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- "Sakura Koiwai". Colan Totte Co.,Ltd. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- "Player Bio: Sakura Koiwai". USGA. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- "Sakura Koiwai Player Profile". Women's World Golf Rankings. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
External links
- Sakura Koiwai at the LPGA of Japan Tour official site
- Sakura Koiwai at the Women's World Golf Rankings official site