PATTAYA - Japanese rookie Akie Iwai shocked the field with a 10-under-par 62 to take a three-stroke lead in the first round of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2025 tournament on Thursday in Pattaya.
Playing in her first event on the top women’s tour, the 22-year-old, a six-time winner on the JLPGA Tour, rattled off seven birdies on the front nine.
Maya Stark of Sweden is alone in second place at 7 under, followed by Thai veteran Moriya Jutanugarn in third place at 6 under par.
Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark, who won the tournament in a playoff in 2022, is at 5 under alongside Ko Jin Young of South Korea and Angel Yin of the United States.
Defending champion Patty Tavatanakit struggled during her first round at the Siam Country Club but managed to finish at 1 under par.
Jeeno Thitikul, the new world No.2 following her victory in Saudi Arabia last week, also struggled early on before finding her stroke. She birdied the final four holes to finish at 4 under, alongside compatriot Chanettee Wannasaen.
Ariya Jutanugarn, who edged Jeeno by one stroke to win the tournament in 2021, was part of a large group at 2 under par. That group included world No.4 Ruoning “Ronnie” Yin of China, Jeeno's best friend on the tour. The two were in a group with defending champ Patty.
Jeeno celebrated her 22nd birthday on Thursday and has been the centre of attention in the lead-up to the Pattaya tournament. She missed the event last year because she was still rehabilitating an injured hand.
She is looking for the 18th win of her professional career and has her sights set on returning to the top spot in the Rolex rankings, a position she held briefly in 2023.
She will have a way to go to overtake Nelly Korda, who had an amazing 2024 but is not playing this week.
A total of 72 golfers are competing in the 2025 edition of the Honda LPGA Thailand, a no-cut event that offers a purse of $1.7 million, including $255,000 (8.6 million baht) to the winner.
Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul waves to the fans during her first round of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2025 tournament at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya on Thursday. She finished at 4 under par, 6 shots off the lead.