Akie Iwai is picking up where she left off at the CPKC Women’s Open.
The Japanese player fired four birdies in her back nine for a total of seven to take a two-stroke lead at the Canadian women’s golf championship at 7 under on Thursday, just four days after she won the Standard Portland Classic for her first-ever LPGA Tour title. Iwai insisted that a new tournament requires a fresh mindset.
“Last week I won, but it’s already in the past,” said Iwai. “That’s why I changed my mindset, to have good focus this week.”
Iwai’s back-to-back birdies to finish her round helped her leap over a cluster of players that held the lead for most of the day. Canadian amateur Aphrodite Deng, Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, and Megan Khang shared the clubhouse lead at 5 under after the morning wave. The 15-year-old Deng was born in Calgary and her family lived in Montreal before moving to New Jersey for her dad’s work. Last month, Deng became the first Canadian golfer to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, at the Atlanta Athletic Club’s Riverside Course.
“I was able to have good focus and my swing had good tempo,” said Iwai. “That’s why I had so many birdie chances.”
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and Ireland’s Leona Maguire also had 5-under 66 rounds in the afternoon wave to join the group tied for second. It was Thitikul’s first round of competitive golf since claiming the top spot in the women’s world golf rankings, supplanting American Nelly Korda.
“It was just like another day at work for me, but then I think I will be excited and a lot of nerves out there as well,” said Thitikul. “I’m not going to lie saying I’m not thinking about that, but like to be honest I just told myself that I can think about it, that I can worry, that I can have nerves.
“But at the end of the day, you’ve got to pass this as well. It’s just another step of my life.”
WATCH | 15-year-old Deng tied for 2nd at CPKC Women’s Open: 
Canada’s Aphrodite Deng tied for 2nd after opening round at CPKC Women’s Open
15-year-old Aphrodite Deng of Calgary is tied with four other golfers at 5-under, trailing the leader Akie Iwai of Japan by two shots after
the first round of the LPGA CPKC Women’s Open at the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Mississauga, Ont.
Khang’s only LPGA Tour win came at the Women’s Open in 2023 when Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club hosted the national women’s golf championship. She said that although the tournament is in a different location, she still feels pressure to repeat at the only LPGA Tour event in Canada.
“It’s always nerve-racking coming back to a tournament you have won,” she said. “Obviously you would like to do it again. It’s definitely a little cool coming in and still seeing some spots where my face is displayed. It still catches me off guard.
“I try to just stay the same Megan throughout golf and off the golf course.”
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., the top ranked Canadian on the LPGA Tour, recovered from a frustrating start with three birdies on her final seven holes to finish the day at even par, tied for 38th.
“It was a really unfortunate start that I had, and it was really tough to come back from that,” said Henderson, who was in the marquee group with Thitikul. “But I feel like (caddie and sister) Britt and I, we stayed really gritty and kind of grinded it out.
“Just grateful we were able to get it back to even. I feel like lots of good things going into tomorrow, so just try to keep the momentum going.”
