Scrolling the leaderboard of the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, held at Royal Porthcawl in Whales, one flag shows up more than any other at the top. Japan.
Japan has had a terrific last couple seasons on the LPGA Tour, winning three of the last eight majors, and having several contenders for this season’s Rookie of the Year award. This week looks to be following that same trend as six of the top 12 players on the leaderboard, including the top three, all hail from Japan.
Rio Takeda and Eri Okayama led the way shooting -5 67s in the later wave. Takeda, the current front runner for LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, overcame a double bogey on the par 5 ninth hole, but had a clean round otherwise with seven birdies and no bogeys. The story of Takeda’s major championship season has mostly been her mistakes that lead to big scores after being overly aggressive. If she can avoid big numbers going forward, she looks to be in terrific form.
Okayama isn’t as known to LPGA Tour fans in America, but the 29-year-old has found good form as of late on the JLPGA with four top-10 finishes on that circuit in 2025. She made bogey on the opening hole but recovered quick, making six birdies on the front nine and adding another on the difficult par 4 17. Okayama’s ball striking was superb, hitting it long and grabbing 16 greens in regulation.
Miyu Yamashita sits one back at -4, thanks to an explosive front nine. Like Okayama, Yamashita also made bogey on the opening hole, but responded with four birdies in a row from holes 4-7 and an eagle on nine.
Other Japanese players in heavy contention are Chisato Iwai, Mao Saigo and Shiho Kuwaki, who all sit at T4 two strokes off the lead.
The second round of the AIG Women’s Open will kickoff on USA at 7:00 Est., with many of the players at the top in the early wave Friday.
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