Sakura Koiwai
Birth date15 April 1998 (age 28)
Birth placeKitahiroshima, Hokkaido, Japan
Height158cm
Yearpro2017
TourLPGA of Japan Tour (joined 2017)
Prowins12
Jlpgawins12
AnainspirationDNP
LpgaDNP
WusopenT9: 2024
WbritopenCUT: 2024
EvianDNP
Award 1JLPGA Rookie of the Year
Year 12018
Award 2Japan Professional Sports Rookie of the Year
Year 22018

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 12 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

  • 2014 Hokkaido Amateur Championship
  • 2016 Hokkaido Amateur Championship

Source:[2]

Professional wins (12)

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (12)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
121 Jul 2019Samantha Thavasa Girls Collection Ladies Tournament66-68-65=199−171 strokeLee Min-young2
26 Sep 2020Golf5 Ladies68-65-66=199−176 strokesAyaka Furue
Ayake Watanabe
37 Mar 2021Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament71-69-66-68=274−141 strokeHaruka Morita-WanyaoLu
421 Mar 2021T-Point ENEOS Golf Tournament68-68-70=206−102 strokesBae Seon-woo
Ai Suzuki
Tsai Pei-ying
515 Aug 2021NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament64-34=98^−102 strokesTsai Pei-ying
622 Aug 2021CAT Ladies68-70-71=209−72 strokesMone Inami
Kana Mikashima
Sayaka Takahashi
729 May 2022Resort Trust Ladies69-67-64-71=271−172 strokesNana Suganuma
Tsai Pei-ying
89 Oct 2022Stanley Ladies Honda Golf Tournament67-67-70=204−171 strokeKana Nagai
Mao Saigo
Nana Suganuma
99 Jul 2023MinebeaMitsumi Ladies Hokkaido Shimbun Cup69-68-68-71=276−123 strokesLala Anai
Erika Kikuchi
1031 Mar 2024Yamaha Ladies Open Katsuragi66-73-67=206−101 strokeChisato Iwai
Rio Takeda
1123 Jun 2024Earth Mondahmin Cup70-66-65-71=272−163 strokesYuka Yasuda
1220 Jul 2025Meiji Yasuda Ladies Golf Tournament66-69-66=201−151 strokeYui Kawamoto
Hanane Nagashima
Kano Nakamura
Miyu Sato

^Tournament shortened due to adverse conditions.

Results in LPGA majors

Tournament20242025
Chevron Championship
U.S. Women's OpenT9T45
Women's PGA Championship
The Evian Championship
Women's British OpenCUT

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

References

  1. ^ "Member Guide: 小祝 さくら" (in Japanese). LPGA of Japan. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Sakura Koiwai – Profile". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Sakura Koiwai". Colan Totte Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Player Bio: Sakura Koiwai". USGA. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Sakura Koiwai Player Profile". Women's World Golf Rankings. Retrieved 30 April 2022.