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 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
- 2014 Hokkaido Amateur Championship
- 2016 Hokkaido Amateur Championship
Source:[2]
Professional wins (11)
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (11)
^Tournament shortened due to adverse conditions.
References
- ^ a b c "Member Guide: 小祝 さくら" (in Japanese). LPGA of Japan. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Sakura Koiwai – Profile". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Sakura Koiwai". Colan Totte Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Player Bio: Sakura Koiwai". USGA. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Sakura Koiwai Player Profile". Women's World Golf Rankings. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
External links
- Sakura Koiwai at the LPGA of Japan Tour official site
- Sakura Koiwai at the Women's World Golf Rankings official site