Shuri Sakuma won her first LPGA title by four shots on Sunday at the Japan Classic after carding a 64 in the final round. The 23-year-old, who currently holds the number two ranking on Japan's JLPGA Tour, finished the tournament at 20-under par.
Sakuma played a bogey-free final round at the Taiheiyo Club's Minori Course outside Tokyo, recording eight birdies in total. While she only managed two birdies on the first 10 holes, she surged into the lead following a run of five consecutive birdies. Sakuma stated that when she made her birdie putt on the 13th, she looked at the scoreboard and saw she was tied for the lead, noting, "From there, I felt I was able to regain confidence in my putting and play the remaining holes."
The victory moved Sakuma from three shots behind at the start of the day to a comfortable win over overnight leader Aki Iwai. This win marks Sakuma's fifth victory of the season and her second consecutive win on the Japanese tour.
Despite earning the right to take up LPGA membership with this win, Sakuma said it was "not something I can decide on my own." She told reporters, "Ever since I was a child, I haven't felt such a strong desire to play on the LPGA Tour," and added, "At this point, I'm still 50-50 on what to do."
Sakuma expressed delight at winning in an elite field, stating, "I was able to win against some of the world's top players," and remarked that the win would give her confidence moving forward.
Aki Iwai finished as the runner-up, one stroke clear of Erika Hara. Yuna Araki and Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol finished one stroke behind them. Japan's defending champion, seven-time LPGA Tour winner Nasa Hataoka, finished seven strokes off the lead, while Thailand's world number two Jeeno Thitikul finished at 4-under overall.
