After what was already an incredible week at the Honda LPGA Thailand for Japanese rookie Akie Iwai, the 22-year-old wrapped up her third career start in the event with an 11-under 61 in the final round at the Old Course at Siam Country Club.

Iwai got off to a blazing hot start, blitzing the field in the first round by posting a bogey-free, 10-under 62 to hold a three-shot lead early on Thursday. She made 10 birdies, seven of which came on the front nine alone, with one collection coming in a four-hole stretch from holes one to four and another streak of birdies coming on the par-5 7th, par-3 8th and par-4 9th holes.

Iwai then made birdies on 15, 16 and 18 to post her new career-low round on the LPGA Tour, an effort that beat her previous record of 63 by one stroke and gave Iwai her second career 18-hole lead/co-lead on Tour. The 62 also tied the 18-hole tournament scoring record that was first set by Jessica Korda in 2018.

Iwai played to a similar pace on Friday, once again going bogey-free but this time firing a 5-under 67, picking up birdies on holes one, four, seven, 13 and 15 to climb to 15-under for the tournament and hold her first 36-hole lead/co-lead on the LPGA Tour, sitting two shots ahead of Angel Yin. Moving Day in Thailand then saw the six-time JLPGA Tour winner cool off a bit, with the rookie only managing to card a 1-under 71 in the third round after making two bogeys and three birdies and ultimately dropping into second place, five shots behind Yin entering the final round.

However, Iwai was undeterred and threw everything she had at the American on the last day at Siam Country Club’s Old Course. She made five birdies on the front nine on holes one, three, four, six and eight to move to 21-under total and sit three shots back of Yin at the turn. Iwai then rattled off three straight birdies on holes 10, 11 and 12 to tie Yin at 24-under, making two more birdies on the par-4 14th and 15th holes to get to 26-under, now one stroke down to Yin with three holes to play.

The 2025 rookie stumbled with a bogey on 17 to slip back to 25-under and trail Yin by two, leaving herself with only the par-5 18th hole left to try and make something happen as she pursued her first career LPGA Tour victory. Iwai’s tee shot on 18 found the left rough, and she muscled what appeared to be a 3-wood up the hill to the back edge of the green, just behind the flag, while Yin knocked her second shot onto the putting surface.

Yin then ran her eagle try by, leaving the door slightly cracked for Iwai, who in turn buried her slippery eagle putt back down the slope to post an 11-under 61 and sit at 27-under overall, tied for the lead with Yin and leaving the American with a must-make clean-up birdie to win. But Yin calmly knocked in her putt to finish with a tournament record 28-under total, beating the rookie by just one shot to claim the 2025 Honda LPGA Thailand title.

While Iwai was certainly disappointed to come up one stroke short of becoming the year’s second Rolex First-Time Winner alongside Yealimi Noh, her performance throughout the week in Thailand should provide an always-valuable confidence boost for the rookie as she works to continue making an early impact in her debut season. Her runner-up finish is her new career-best result on the LPGA Tour, and Iwai also set a new 18-hole tournament scoring record at the Honda LPGA Thailand with her final-round 61, which is now her career-low 18-hole score on Tour.

So, there are more than enough positives for Iwai to glean from just her second tournament as an LPGA Tour member as she takes a few weeks off to rest and reset before making her next scheduled start at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass in late March.

But for now, when asked what she is looking forward to next, Iwai gave a simple answer: “Burger trip.”

And after some stellar golf this week at the Honda LPGA Thailand, a hamburger dinner seems incredibly well-deserved for the young, budding superstar.

Rookie Akie Iwai Shoots 11-Under 61 in Final Round of Honda LPGA Thailand

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