Sakura Koiwai Explained

Sakura Koiwai
Birth Date:15 April 1998
Birth Place:Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido, Japan
Height:158cm
Yearpro:2017
Tour:LPGA of Japan Tour (joined 2017)
Prowins:11
Jlpgawins:11
Anainspiration:DNP
Lpga:DNP
Wusopen:T9: 2024
Wbritopen:DNP
Evian:DNP
Award1:JLPGA Rookie of the Year
Year1:2018
Award2:Japan Professional Sports Rookie of the Year
Year2:2018

(born 15 April 1998) is a Japanese professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour where she has 11 victories.[1]

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]

Amateur wins

Source:[2]

Professional wins (11)

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (11)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
121 Jul 2019Samantha Thavasa Girls Collection Ladies Tournament66-68-65=199−171 stroke Lee Min-young2
26 Sep 2020Golf5 Ladies68-65-66=199−176 strokes
37 Mar 2021Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament71-69-66-68=274−141 stroke Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu
421 Mar 2021T-Point ENEOS Golf Tournament68-68-70=206−102 strokes Bae Seon-woo
Ai Suzuki
Tsai Pei-ying
515 Aug 2021NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament64-34=98^−102 strokes Tsai Pei-ying
622 Aug 2021CAT Ladies68-70-71=209−72 strokes Mone Inami
Kana Mikashima
Sayaka Takahashi
729 May 2022Resort Trust Ladies69-67-64-71=271−172 strokes Nana Suganuma
Tsai Pei-ying
89 Oct 2022Stanley Ladies Honda Golf Tournament67-67-70=204−171 stroke Kana Nagai
Mao Saigo
Nana Suganuma
99 Jul 2023MinebeaMitsumi Ladies Hokkaido Shimbun Cup69-68-68-71=276−123 strokes Lala Anai
Erika Kikuchi
1031 Mar 2024Yamaha Ladies Open Katsuragi66-73-67=206−101 stroke Chisato Iwai
Rio Takeda
1123 Jun 2024Earth Mondahmin Cup70-66-65-71=272−163 strokes Yuka Yasuda
^Tournament shortened due to adverse conditions.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Member Guide: 小祝 さくら . LPGA of Japan . 2 May 2022 . ja.
  2. Web site: Sakura Koiwai – Profile . World Amateur Golf Ranking . 2 May 2022.
  3. Web site: Sakura Koiwai . Colan Totte Co., Ltd. . 2 May 2022.
  4. Web site: Player Bio: Sakura Koiwai . USGA . 2 May 2022.
  5. Web site: Sakura Koiwai Player Profile . Women's World Golf Rankings . 30 April 2022.