The LPGA recently completed one half of its 2025 schedule. It has been an extremely exciting season thus far. We have not had a repeat winner yet this season. In fact, we have had eighteen different winners (two winners in the Dow Championship) in the seventeen tournaments that have been played this year. That is definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year so far, but in my opinion, not the biggest surprise.

What is the biggest surprise? The answer to that has to be the play of the LPGA rookies from Japan. We have had great rookie crops in past seasons, but as of this writing the top four rookies this year in the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year standing are all from Japan! Yes, all from one country.

Let’s take a look at the current standings:

1. Rio Takeda – Japan 730 points

2. Miyu Yamashita – Japan 556 points

3. Chisato Iwai – Japan 512 points

4. Akie Iwai – Japan 364 points

5. Miranda Wang – China 318 points

6. Saki Baba – Japan 264 points

Wow! Look at that, not only does Japan have the top four, but five of the top six.

I want to concentrate on the stats for the top four players now:

Rio Takeda (16 starts) – The top rookie by a good margin this year. Rio won on the LPGA Tour last year as a non-LPGA member. She has followed that up this year with the following:

• A win at the Blue Bay LPGA.

• A second place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open.

• Finished 5^th at the Black Desert Championship.

• She has finished in the top ten six times this year, has eight top 20 finishes, and ten top 25’s.

Miyu Yamashita (13 starts) 

• Finished 3^rd at the JM Eagle LPGA Championship.

• Had a 4^th place finish at the Founders Cup.

• Had another top five finish at the ShopRite Classic.

• She has five top ten finishes this year (sixth at the KPMG, a Major Championship), Seven top twenties, and eight top twenty-fives.

Chisato Iwai (13 starts)

• Won the Mexican Riviera Maya Open by an impressive six strokes.

• Finished 4^th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

• She has three top twenty finishes and six top twenty-fives.

• Akie Awai (13 starts) Twin sister of Chisato Iwai.

Second place finishes at both the Honda LPGA Thailand and the JM Eagle LPGA Championship.

She has three top ten finishes, as well as five top twenties.

We have had other countries dominate the rookie charts before. Korea has dominated this chart for the better part of the last twenty years. But this year stands out above the rest.

I say congratulations to the rookies from Japan this year as they have made their country one of the top picks to win this year’s International Crown.

Feature Photo: Akie Iwai at 2024 LPGA Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage. Photographer: Ben Harpring.