Sakuma wins LPGA Japan title

TOKYO (Agencies): Japan’s Shuri Sakuma won her first LPGA title by four shots with a scorching final-round 64 at the Japan Classic on Sunday, and then played it cool after earning Tour membership. Sakuma, who is ranked number two on Japan’s JLPGA Tour, fired off six birdies in her last eight holes to card a final-day score of 8-under par, finishing 20-under overall. The 23-year-old rattled in eight birdies in total in a bogey-free final round at the Taiheiyo Club’s Minori Course outside Tokyo. That took her from three shots behind at the start of the day to a comfortable win ahead of overnight leader Aki Iwai. The victory earned Sakuma the right to take up LPGA membership but she said it was “not something I can decide on my own”. “Ever since I was a child, I haven’t felt such a strong desire to play on the LPGA Tour,” she said. “At this point, I’m still 50-50 on what to do.” It was Sakuma’s fifth win of the season and her second in consecutive weeks on the Japanese tour.

Two birdies on the first 10 holes gave little indication of what was to come, but she rocketed into the lead after a run of five straight birdies. “When I looked at the scoreboard, I was tied for the lead,” she said of her birdie putt on the 13th. “From there, I felt I was able to regain confidence in my putting and play the remaining holes.” Runner-up Iwai finished a stroke clear of Erika Hara, with Yuna Araki and Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol one further back. Japan’s defending champion Nasa Hataoka, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour, finished seven strokes off the lead. Thailand’s world number two Jeeno Thitikul finished on 4-under overall. Sakuma said she was delighted with the victory in an elite field. “I was able to win against some of the world’s top players,” she said. “This will give me confidence going forward.”