01후반 홀 폭발적인 버디 몰아치기로 리더보드 최상단 점령
이와이 아키(Aki Iwai)가 2026 토토 재팬 클래식에서 경기 막판 무서운 버디 몰아치기를 선보이며 리더보드 최상단에 이름을 올렸다.
라운드 후반 강한 집중력을 발휘한 이와이 아키는 결정적인 순간마다 연이어 버디를 낚아채며 분위기를 반전시켰고, 빠르게 타수를 줄여 나가며 선두 경쟁에 불을 지폈다.
막판 버디 폭발에 힘입은 이와이 아키는 마침내 다른 두 명의 선수와 함께 3명 공동 선두(Three-Way Tie) 그룹을 형성하며 2026 토토 재팬 클래식 우승 트로피를 향한 유리한 고지를 점했다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Aki Iwai of Japan hits her tee shot on the 4th hole during the first round of the TOTO Japan Classic 2026 at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course on November 5, 2026 in Omitama, Japan.
Megan McCrea is the Manager of Digital Operations. Megan is in her second year with the LPGA, working with the LPGA and Epson Tours to manage, develop, maintain, and update website content.
Aki Iwai spent the middle of Thursday’s back nine making Taiheiyo Club Minori Course look easy. A bogey to open the inward half didn’t slow her down. She answered with four birdies in five holes, and her 6-under 66 left her level with Miyu Yamashita and Sayaka Takahashi after 18 holes of the TOTO Japan Classic.
Iwai was steady going out. Birdies at the par-5 second, the par-4 sixth and the par-5 ninth had her 3-under at the turn. Things got more interesting after a bogey at the par-4 10th. She birdied the 11th and the par-5 12th, parred the par-3 13th, then rolled in two more at the 14th and 15th.
Another birdie at the par-5 17th took her to 7-under with a one-shot advantage, but a closing bogey at the 18th dropped her back into the tie. Her card showed eight birdies, two bogeys and eight pars.
Iwai, 24, has been building toward a week like this during the Asia swing. She tied for 15th at the BMW Ladies Championship, then shot a final-round 67 in Malaysia to finish T9 at the Maybank Championship, her sixth top-10 of 2026.
Two of those came on big stages: a solo third at The Amundi Evian Championship in July and a share of second at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G in September. The others were at the HSBC Women’s World Championship (T8), Aramco Championship (T5) and Dow Championship (T7). This is her 27th start of the year, and a win is the one thing missing. She sat 13th in the Race to the CME Globe standings coming into the week.
A T8 finish at the 2023 edition was Iwai’s best showing at this event, when she reached 18-under 270. She finished T39 in 2024 and T27 last year after an opening 67.
A six-time JLPGA Tour winner, Iwai joined the LPGA Tour by tying for fifth at the Final Qualifying stage of Q-Series in 2024. She broke through at The Standard Portland Classic in 2025 during her rookie season, winning at 24-under, and now has 54 holes left to add a second LPGA title.
She won’t be the only Iwai to watch. Twin sister Chisato Iwai opened with a 2-under 70 and is T26. With a home crowd behind them, the twins will look to keep the momentum going on Friday.