Fireworks in Paradise: Iwai’s 64 lights up Hoakalei, with Hataoka, Ruffels and Chien in chase

Photo Credit: LPGA/Getty

Ewa Beach, Hawai‘i — The Pacific was in a forgiving mood at Hoakalei on Thursday morning, and Akie Iwai made the most of it. The 21-year-old rookie from Japan poured in nine birdies en route to an 8-under 64—good for the solo lead after Round 1 of the LOTTE Championship—and then grinned like someone who’d just discovered golf can be simple if you let it. “Everything felt good… my driver was consistent… putting was good,” she said, as matter-of-factly as reading a yardage bookiwai.

Behind her, a trio posted 65s: Nasa Hataoka, Gabriela Ruffels, and Peiyun Chien, each carving a different route to seven under on a course that punishes indecision and sloppy pace into the grain. Iwai’s name blinked atop a first page that also featured defending champion A Lim Kim and Thailand’s power combo Patty Tavatanakit and Pornanong Phatlum at 66. This leaderboard felt like a snapshot of the LPGA’s present tense: international, fearless, and very ready to attack. ESPN.com

The morning blitz: Iwai’s nine-circle canvas

Iwai’s card was a gallery piece: nine birdies against one bogey, with three birdies in her first four holes (Nos. 10, 11, 13) after starting on the back nine. The stats back up the vibe—13/14 fairways, 17/18 greens, 27 putts—and so does her uncomplicated plan for the rest of the week: “Just have smiling, just have confidence. Yeah, that’s it.” She kept it loose in a comfortable pairing that included twin sister Chisato, a detail that fits the round: light, joyful, repeatableiwai.

Hataoka’s heater, Ruffels’ reset, Chien’s clean sheet

Nasa Hataoka arrived feeling off on the range—“not feeling great,” she admitted—but walked off the course looking like herself again, after birdieing Nos. 1–5 consecutively, then stacking seven birdies across her last nine holes for a 65. One hiccup: a bogey at the 6th. Otherwise the ball-striking held up in the crosswinds and the putter traveled beautifully (25 putts). “Pick the right club and right swing… that’s the key here,” she said, leaning into the wind-management that defines Hoakaleihatoka.

Gabriela Ruffels’ 65 looked like a player growing into her second year. She opened birdie-birdie, absorbed a hiccup at 12, then ripped four birdies in five holes (Nos. 10, 11, 13, 14) and closed like someone who knows how to keep the throttle down. She’s been fixing the engine as she drives—“understanding my swing a little bit more… and some putting stuff,” she said—and the 12/14 fairways, 16/18 GIR, 27 putts are the receiptsruffels. She also gave everyone a scouting report for Friday: the wind picks up in the afternoon; patience travels. “I feel like the defense of this golf course is the wind,” Ruffels saidruffels.

Peiyun Chien matched them without a blemish: bogey-free 65, with 12/14 fairways, 17/18 greens, 28 putts—the kind of clean, no-drama number that plays anywhere, but especially in Hawai‘i when the gusts start dancing.

Locals, defenders, and a course with teeth

The round’s backdrop mattered. Hoakalei played 6,435 yards with a 70.70 scoring average, under passing showers and gusts up to 22 mph—conditions that reward trajectory control and decisiveness on the grainy surfaces.

Defending champion A Lim Kim kept the crown in play with a 66 (T5), a quietly efficient start that fits her reputation. “I focus on the same things… Because golf is sometimes hard; sometimes easy,” she said—an ethos made for a course that can swing moods with a breeze.

And don’t forget the closing theater. The par-5 18th is the Aon Risk Reward hole—water right, fidgety winds, and a second-shot decision that can make or break momentum. Last year, players who found the greenside bunker after going for it in two actually gained strokes on the field, a quirky data point that will tempt anyone chasing on SundayPre-Tournament-Notes—2025-LOT….

Shots (and stretches) of the day

• Hataoka’s five-pack — A birdie run on Nos. 1–5 that turned a “not feeling great on the range” morning into a 65 with swagger.
• Ruffels’ reset — Birdie-birdie start, a stumble on 12, then a four-in-five tear (10, 11, 13, 14) that shows exactly how she wants to play this week.
• Chien’s clinic — 17/18 greens, no bogeys, and 28 putts: textbook clean sheet at Hoakalei.
• Iwai’s opening burst — Three birdies in the first four (10, 11, 13) set the tone for that 64—and yes, nine total circles on the card.

Big-picture stakes

The pre-tournament word from players and data folks matched the eye test: approach play and putting on grain rule here. Last year, top-10 finishers gained nearly 46% of their strokes on approach, well above the Tour average—so the iron-play we saw on Thursday is no accidentPre-Tournament-Notes—2025-LOT…. With the wind expected to freshen in the afternoon wave on Friday—Ruffels called it out explicitly—the course will continue to swing like a pendulum between gettable and pricklyruffels.

Meanwhile, Nelly Korda and Charley Hull posted tidy under-par starts, and Allisen Corpuz—the hometown star—was in early red figures too. There’s plenty of firepower hovering for the weekend, but Day One belonged to the players who trusted the wind windows and rolled it with conviction.

Round 1 Leaderboard — 2025 LOTTE Championship

(official after Thursday; Hoakalei Country Club)

What to watch on Friday

• Wind vs. patience: Morning calm gave away to gusts—expect the afternoon wave to protect par more fiercelyruffels.
• The 18th decision: Lay up vs. green-light second. The Aon data says the bunker isn’t always bad, which flips conventional fear on its headPre-Tournament-Notes—2025-LOT….
• Iwai’s smile test: She said it herself—smile and be confident. If the stats repeat, the weekend might, too.

Reporting notes: Conditions, scoring, and “stretches of play” from LPGA First-Round Notes; quotes from on-site FastScripts; leaderboard and positions verified against the live board.hatokaruffelsiwai ESPN.com+1