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USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Five teams to watch at Dow Championship, including stars Jeeno Thitikul and Ruoning Yin
When it comes to favorites at this week's Dow Championship, it's hard to look past the defending champs: Jeeno Thitikul and Ruoning Yin. The sixth edition of the popular event features 72 teams competing at Midland Country Club for a $3.3 million purse. Four of the top five players in the world are in the field, with Thitikul (No. 2) and Yin (No. 4) actually paired together. They're one of three teams who have won it before back together in Michigan, joined by Cheyenne Knight/Elizabeth Szokol (2023) and Ariya/Moriya Jutanugarn (2021). World No. 1 Nelly Korda is the only top-five player taking the week off. Fifth-ranked Haeran Ryu has teamed up with Rose Zhang. The first and third rounds of the event will be played in the foursomes format (alternate shot), and the second and fourth rounds will be played in the four-ball (best ball) format. The winning team receives a standard two-year winner's exemption on the LPGA priority list. Rolex Rankings, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year points will not be allocated. Here are five teams to watch: Won together in their tournament debut last year. The pair of 22-year-old friends have 10 LPGA titles between them. In 2025, Thitikul has one win and seven top-10 finishes while Yin has three top 10s in 10 starts, including runner-up showings at both the Chevron Championship and Black Desert Championship. The Iwai twins look to join the Jutanugarn sisters when it comes Dow team success. Chisato won earlier this season in Mexico at the Riviera Maya Open and has eight titles on the JLPGA. Akie, meanwhile, has six JLPGA titles and a pair of runner-up finishes on the LPGA this season. Akie is currently ranked 25th in the world while Chisato is 27th. A team that first came together at the last minute at the 2023 Solheim Cup, Khang and Thompson went 2-0-0 in foursomes together in Spain. Thompson, now a part-time player on the LPGA, is playing her third week in a row in Midland, coming off two top-12 finishes. She partnered last year with Brooke Henderson and finished T-8. A pair of Solheim Cup stalwarts who play on opposite teams will come together at Midland for the first time. Kupcho won the Dow with Lizette Salas in 2022 and finished runner-up last year with Ally Ewing. Kupcho, winner of the 2025 ShopRite LPGA, beat Maguire in a playoff three years ago at the Meijer LPGA Classic . At the 2021 Solheim Cup, Maguire defeated Kupcho in a pivotal singles match that set the tone in an eventual European victory. Pair of Japanese stars are rookies in name only. Yamashita is a 13-time winner on the JLPGA, while Takeda is a two-time winner on the LPGA and eight-time winner in Japan. The pair combine to have 11 top-10 finishes this season on the LPGA.
Japan Times
15-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
What gender pay gap? In Japanese golf, women are on par with men
It's rare for female athletes to make more money than their male counterparts, but it happens in Japan in one sport: golf. In almost every mainstream sport in the country —and in the rest of a nation that ranked No. 118 out of 148 in a recent gender gap repor t — women earn significantly less than men and many of them need to boost their income with second jobs. Take soccer, one of a handful of sports which has a domestic women's pro league . The highest-paid player in the men's J. League makes almost 40 times more than the top earner in the women's WE League. In 2024, the average player in the J. League's top division made ¥31 million, while the average WE League salary is said to be in the ¥3 million to ¥4 million range. From soccer to baseball to volleyball, male athletes typically enjoy higher salaries, larger fan bases and greater media attention. However, in Japan, golf stands out as a notable exception. The Japan Ladies Professional Golfers' Association, recognized as the world's second most lucrative women's golf tour, seems to have found a winning formula. The JLPGA has come a long way since it was created in 1967 as the 'women's division' within the men's golf organization and evolved into its own independent entity seven years later. So has golf itself, which is no longer just a man's game. The successes of rising JLPGA stars like Rio Takeda have made golf far more appealing to a younger, more diverse audience. JLPGA hosts a tournament almost every week from March to November. The upcoming Earth Mondahmin Cup, which will be held June 26 to 29 at Camellia Hills Country Club in Chiba Prefecture, offers the largest purse on the JLPGA Tour, with ¥300 million up for grabs. The winner will receive ¥54 million. Rio Takeda poses with her hardware after being named the JLPGA's player of the year at the tour's 2024 awards ceremony in Tokyo last December. | Jiji Takeda has kickstarted her 2025 campaign as a rookie on the American circuit — with one victory and a second-place finish at the U.S. Women's Open earlier this month — after raising the bar on the list of most money earned in a single season in the JLPGA. The 22-year-old banked roughly ¥265.7 million in the 2024 season in prize money and earned more than any other professional golfer in Japan — man or woman. She was one of seven women who surpassed the ¥100 million mark in season earnings, a feat accomplished by just two players on the men's tour. How is this possible? For one, women have a chance to compete in more events than men throughout the season, meaning they can end up with more total season earnings even if their tournament paychecks are smaller. Last year's JLPGA tour offered nearly ¥4.4 billion in prize money across 37 tournaments, compared with ¥3.1 billion on the 23-event men's Japan Golf Tour. Takeda entered 32 tournaments and dominated with eight wins. But a bigger schedule doesn't tell the whole story and compared with tours overseas, golf in Japan has a significantly smaller gender gap — in the U.S., the PGA Tour's purse is nearly four times greater than that of the LPGA. In addition to more tournaments, the JLPGA has done an excellent job of earning lucrative sponsorships and TV money. According to Video Research, the Japan Women's Open was the most-watched golf telecast in both 2023 and 2024, period. The tour also has a ton of star power, with Takeda, who was born in 2003 representing one of a 'diamond generation' of female golfers who are bringing a fresh, dynamic energy to the age-old game. JLPGA spokesperson Takahiro Shiga said the popularity surge didn't come out of nowhere. 'In 2013 we launched an initiative in an effort to strengthen the women's professional golf tour,' Shiga said. 'We've seen a boost in performance and competitiveness, which is probably the main reason behind the rising popularity of women's golf in Japan.' 'The increased player earnings are supported by much larger tournament purses, thanks to our corporate sponsors,' Shiga said when asked why there are more ¥100 million players today. He added that the organization has been instructing golfers to treat fans and sponsors with the omotenashi spirit, an expression of Japanese hospitality in service or heartfelt welcome to guests, and the sport is reaping the benefits, with fan support and sponsorships helping grow the women's game. JLPGA officials have been instructing golfers to treat fans and sponsors with the omotenashi spirit, an expression of Japanese hospitality in service or heartfelt welcome to guests, and the sport is reaping the benefits. | Jiji That appears to be paying dividends with fans like Hideaki Hayama, a Nagoya-based recreational golfer who turned his love for women's golf into a platform for fans seeking news updates and insightful analysis. Hayama wrote in a recent blog post about one notable difference between men's and women's pro golf fandom in Japan, saying the former is based on admiration, while the latter is about approachability. 'The top 10 men's golfers are all protagonists, but the rest are extras. Fans of men's golf are drawn to technical skill and scoring,' he said. 'In contrast, fans of women's golf are often motivated by more than just the game itself. They look at players' social media posts, interaction with the gallery, facial expressions and mannerisms during practice rounds, even the way they wear their jackets. There's an infinite number of oshi points.' The word 'oshi' (literally meaning recommendation) is a slang term that originated in the idol fan community. Hayama says fans of women's golf have a lot in common with fans of AKB48, a Japanese girl pop group whose tagline is 'idols you can meet,' and attending a women's golf tournament can feel a lot like going to see your favorite idol perform. 'They might give you a smile, a high-five or an autograph. They might react to your 'nice shot!' cheer or even make eye contact with you. They see you. They hear you. They steal your heart,' Hayama explained. 'First-timers will feel welcome because the tickets are reasonably priced, often free for high school students, the venue staff are extremely helpful and there are things to enjoy other than golf, like food trucks, photo spots and simulator booths. 'Every women's golf event is like an oshi festival. If you're wondering which sport to watch in person, women's golf is your answer.'
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Bear on golf course brings early end to women's tournament in Japan; "surprised" teen declared winner
Bear attacks in Japan at record high as the animals struggle to find food Golfers in Japan had more than just bunkers and water hazards to deal with when a bear sighting brought an early end to a tournament because of safety concerns, marking the second time in less than two weeks that creatures have invaded a pro golf tournament. The final round of the Twinfields Ladies on the women's second-tier Step Up tour in central Japan was cancelled after a bear was spotted on the course on Saturday. The decision was taken to protect players and spectators, said organizers. Reina Maeda, who was leading on six-under par after Friday's second round, was declared the winner, earning 2.7 million yen (about $19,000) for the victory. "I was very surprised, but I'm very happy," said the 19-year-old. Empty 18th green is seen as the play of the final day has been cancelled after a bear is witnessed during the final round of the Twinfields Ladies Tournament at Golf Club Twin Fields on May 24, 2025 in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan. Yoshimasa Nakano/JLPGA via Getty Images Earlier this month, a snake slithered onto the golf course at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, the BBC reported. That came just a day after a turtle interrupted play on the same course. Human encounters with bears have reached record levels in Japan, with 219 people attacked, resulting in six deaths in the 12 months leading up to April 2024. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times, along with depopulation caused by an ageing society, are causing bears to venture into towns more frequently. Experts previously told CBS News that as Japan's population shrinks, humans are leaving rural areas, and bears are moving in. "Then that area recovered to the forest, so bears have a chance to expand their range," biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News. Japan's government in February approved a bill allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas. In December, a bear that rampaged through a Japanese supermarket for two days was lured out with food coated in honey. Police said the animal was trapped and later killed.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Prize money payouts for every LPGA player at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open
Prize money payouts for every LPGA player at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open The highly-decorated 2025 LPGA rookie class is living up to its billing. Japan's Chisato Iwai became the third rookie on tour to win this season, joining Japan's Rio Takeda (Blue Bay LPGA) and Sweden's Ingrid Lindblad (JM Eagle LA Championship). While Chisato's twin sister Akie (who tied for 16th in Mexico) boasts a pair of runner-up finishes so far this year, Chisato's only headline prior to this week's inaugural 2025 Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba was a slow-play penalty she received in Utah, where she ultimately missed the cut. Chisato came out firing on Sunday in Mexico, where she entered the final round trailing another rookie, Jenny Bae, by one stroke. Five birdies over the first six holes built a commanding lead she never relinquished. An eight-time winner on the JLPGA, Chisato closed with a 66 to finish six strokes ahead of Bae. Iwai earned $375,000 for the victory and heads next to the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. Prize money payouts for the 2025 Mexico Riviera Maya Open
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
LPGA rookie bounces back after slow-play penalty in Utah to contend at Liberty National
LPGA rookie bounces back after slow-play penalty in Utah to contend at Liberty National One week after LPGA rookie Chisato Iwai received a two-stroke penalty for slow play, she's back in the mix at the rainy Mizuho Americas Open. Iwai carded a second-round 5-under 67 at Liberty National and currently sits in the top 10. Iwai, 22, was assessed the slow-play penalty during the second round of the Black Desert Championship, where she ultimately missed the cut by two. It marked the second second slow-penalty of the season after the tour released a new stricter Pace of Play Policy that went into effect in March. "At first I was really shocked, and it really did get to me," Iwai said through an interpreter. "But after the penalty was finalized I had time to talk about it with the team and it was a good learning experience moving forward." Iwai went on to say that she'd be more mindful of her time going forward. When asked if she'd ever considered herself to be a slow player, she said "absolutely not." Earlier this season at the T-Mobile Match Play, Hira Naveed was assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play on the 16th hole. The penalty did not impact the outcome, however, as she had already lost the hole. Iwai, currently No. 44 in the Rolex Rankings, joined the tour at the same time as twin sister, Akie, who is ranked 22nd. Akie already has two runner-up finishes this season. Chisato is an eight-time winner on the JLPGA while Akie has won six times.
