LPGA players won’t see the tour’s latest winner at its last two events.
Mone Inami won her first LPGA title on home soil and had a chance to accept immediate tour membership. The 24-year-old had until midnight Sunday local time in Japan to make her decision. She opted to turn it down.
That means the $300,000 paycheck from the Toto Japan Classic won’t be considered official money. She also will not receive the 500 Race to the CME Globe points. Inami would’ve been in the field at the upcoming Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican event in Florida, which would’ve given her a strong chance to make the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.
Had Inami accepted immediate membership, those last two events would’ve made up her rookie season.
Now Inami, a 13-time JLPGA winner who was named after famed painter Claude Monet, has until 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 13 to decide whether or not she will accept membership for the 2024 season.
Japan’s Hinako Shibuno famously turned down an LPGA membership after her 2019 AIG Women’s British Open victory and had to later go to Q-School to earn her card.
Mone Inami earned $300,000 for her first LPGA victory at the Toto Japan Classic. Whether or not that money becomes official for the JLPGA player depends on whether or not she chooses to accept LPGA membership.
Official money no longer determines LPGA status, however, as the Race to the CME Globe list took its place several years ago. Inami will also earn 500 points in the Race to the CME Globe should she accept LPGA membership by day’s end.
The 78-player, no-cut field means everyone gets paid. Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux finished last and earned $3,611.
Here’s how the rest of the field fared at the 2023 Toto Japan Classic in Ibaraki, Japan.
At the 2021 Summer Olympics, Inami beat Lydia Ko in a playoff for the silver medal on home soil.
Mone Inami became the second non-member to win on the LPGA this season, joining Rose Zhang, with her triumph at the 2023 Toto Japan Classic. Inami, 24, attended high school and university in Ibaraki, Japan, and enjoyed home support at Taihelyo Club Minori Course.
“I am very happy to get an option that I can play not only on the Japan tour but also on the U.S. tour now,” said Inami, who played on “Team Ibaraki” with six-time LPGA winner Nasa Hataoka.
“I will discuss with my team to make a final decision whether we will take this option or not.”
Inami, whose mother named her after French artist Claude Monet, has until midnight to decide if she wants to accept membership straight away so that the points and money from the win will be official for the purposes of the Race to CME Globe and LPGA money list.
Otherwise, Inami has until Nov. 13 to notify the tour of her intention to join. If she wants until then, the points and money will not be official.
Now a 13-time winner on the JLPGA, Inami came into the week No. 93 in the Rolex Rankings. Though she hadn’t previously won this season in Japan, she did have 10 top-10 finishes. At the 2021 Summer Olympics, Inami beat Lydia Ko in a playoff for the silver medal on home soil.
Inami said she has struggled physically this season and was not comfortable with her swing, changing it four times.
“I got something good feeling with my swing this week,” she said, “it worked well and I won this tournament.”
Mone Inami and Nasa Hataoka share a laugh during the final round of the 2023 Toto Japan Classic at the Taiheiyo Club’s Minori Course in Omitama, Ibaraki, Japan. (Photo: Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images)
Inami closed with a 69 on a windy Sunday, making birdie on her penultimate hole, to clip Seon Woo Bae and Shiho Kuwaki by one stroke with a 22-under 266 total, which sets a new 72-hole scoring record for the tournament.
This was Kuwaki’s first LPGA start and first appearance at the Toto. She has nine top-10 finishes on the JLPGA this season.
The first Japanese player to win this season, Inami is the 23rd player to win on the LPGA this season.
Former World No. 1 Jiyai Shin, who now plays full-time in Japan, took a share of fourth. Defending champion Gemma Dryburgh closed with a 65 to tie for sixth. Drybrugh jumped up from 60th on the CME points list to 50th. The top 60 and ties qualify for the season-ending championship, where the purse is $7 million and the winner’s share is $2 million.
Similarly, Jasmine Suwannapura, who tied for sixth, moved from 59th to 49th on the CME list with her performance.
“I’m very happy,” said Suwannapura of her CME movement. “You know, that’s my goal since the middle of the year. I’ve been playing better and better every week.”
With 18 holes left to play at the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course, Nasa Hataoka and Shiho Kuwaki are tied for the lead at 20 under, one ahead of Mone Inami.
After opening with a 64, Hataoka has signed for consecutive 66s while Kuwaki has gone 65-65-66.
In all, eight Japanese players sit inside the top 10 (12 players), including Hataoka, Kuwaki and Inami.
One of the big movers on Day 3 was American Rose Zhang, who fired a 7-under 65 thanks to eight birdies and one bogey. She’s tied for ninth after 54 holes, five back of the leaders.
Final-round coverage will be aired on Golf Channel on Saturday night and Sunday morning from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. ET.
Rookie @rosezhang rose up the leaderboard with 8 birdies on Saturday 👀
Here’s a closer look at how those trying to clinch a spot at the CME got started in Japan.
With only two events left before the CME Group Tour Championship, LPGA players in Japan are making a strong push to secure their spot to compete for a $7 million purse and $2 million first-place prize at the season-ender.
2022 Toto Japan Classic champion Gemma Dryburgh is among those players. The Scot is currently 60th on the CME points list. The top 60 and ties after The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican advance to Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
JLPGA player Akie Iwai, currently No. 36 in the world, paces the field after Round 1 of the Toto with a 9-under 63. A three-time winner in Japan, Iwai tied the tournament’s 18-hole scoring record last shot by Shanshan Feng on the Minori Course in 2017.
Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, a six-time winner on the LPGA, holds a share of second at 8 under.
Here’s a closer look at how those trying to clinch a spot at the CME got started in Japan:
“I’m feeling a little dead,” said Zhang. “I’m not going to lie. It’s been quite a long journey.”
Rookie Rose Zhang needs a break. Now in her fifth week of competition in Asia at the Toto Japan Classic, Zhang hopes to end the lengthy overseas stretch on a high note after taking a share of third last week at the Maybank Championship. Zhang’s Asian tour began on the Ladies European Tour with the Aramco Team Series event in Hong Kong followed by LPGA stops in China, South Korea, Malaysia and now Japan.
“I’m feeling a little dead,” said Zhang. “I’m not going to lie. It’s been quite a long journey, I would say. Even though it’s only five weeks, it’s still a pretty significant toll on the body. So I’m kind of glad this will be my last one.”
The 46th playing of the Toto Japan Classic, which is co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the LPGA of Japan Tour, takes place this week at the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course.
Zhang, who famously won her first start as a professional at the Mizuho Americas Open in June, is one of 78 players in a field that consists of 43 LPGA members and 35 JLPGA members. Hyo Joo Kim (No. 7) is the only top-10 player in the field this week.
Though Zhang came off her sophomore season at Stanford red hot with four top-10 finishes in her first five starts, her most recent top 10 prior to last week came at the Amundi Evian Championship in July.
Rose Zhang hugs her caddie Olly Brett after a birdie putt on the 18th green during the third round of the 2023 Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Last week, Zhang had a new caddie, Olly Brett, on the bag after she parted ways with veteran looper Jason Gilroyed after the Solheim Cup. Brett, who worked for Danielle Kang and Mike Weir earlier this year, will be with Zhang through the end of the season.
“I think Olly makes a huge difference,” said Zhang last week at the Maybank Championship, “especially with us just enjoying the golf course and having a good time.”
Currently No. 26 in the world, Zhang is one of eight rookies in the field, joined by Celine Borge, Minami Katsu, Yan Liu, Yuna Nishimura, Bailey Tardy, Chanettee Wannasaen and Arpichaya Yubol.
While Zhang currently sits third in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award, she does not have a mathematical chance to win it because she is not signed up for next week’s event in Florida, The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Zhang would have to win all three remaining events on the schedule to have a chance.
Hae Ran Ryu’s 847 points lead Grace Kim by 255 points and Yuna Nishimura by 410 points.
Zhang, who has 473 points, was not given the 150 points for her Mizuho Americas victory toward her total because she was not yet a member of the tour.
Gemma Dryburgh continued a trend of a first-time winners on the LPGA in 2022. The 29-year-old Scottish pro shot her second consecutive 7-under 65 to capture the Toto Japan Classic by four strokes at Seta Golf Course.
“I was in Korea last week with friends and I said to them ‘I’ll mention you in my speech’ as a joke,” said Dryburgh. “But it’s overwhelming to be honest. This has been a dream of mine for a long time. A lot of hard work has gone into this, so it means so much.”
Dryburgh, who has one additional top 10 this season, finished at 20-under 268 for the tournament, shattering her previous record, a 276 from the 2019 Pure Silk Championship. She’s the 11th Rolex First-Time Winner of the season, tying the tour record for most Rolex first-time winners in a single year, which last occurred in 1995.
Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland hits her tee shot on the 7th hole during the final round of the Toto Japan Classic at Seta Golf Course North Course on November 6, 2022 in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. (Photo by Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images)
“I was surprisingly calm,” said Dryburgh. “When I dreamt of this moment, I thought I’d be super, super nervous. I was nervous, I’m not going to lie. But I was incredibly calm to be honest. Kind of focused on my breathing and that really got me through.”
Japan’s Kana Nagai finished second at 16 under while Sweden’s Linn Grant bogeyed the last hole to take solo third.
Dryburgh, playing her first time in this event, began the day one stroke behind 54-hole leader Momoko Ueda. The Scot took the lead at the turn after Ueda bogeyed the ninth. A double-bogey on the 11th from Ueda pushed Dryburgh further ahead as she hit to hit a hybrid to 4 feet, setting up the first of four birdies over the next five holes.
“That’s kind of a turning point in the round I’d say. I had a really good shot there yesterday and hit the same club today, so I was confident I could do it again,” said Dryburgh. “But yeah, had an incredible shot there and it was a nice birdie on that one. It was quite a tough one.”
Dryburgh moved up from 78th on the CME points list to 41. (She has never previously before finished higher than 100th.) The top 60 qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship.
A former Tulane standout, Dryburgh becomes the fourth Scot to win on the LPGA and the first since Catriona Matthew at the 2011 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Prior to this, she won the 2017 Oatlands Ladies Pro Am on the ALPG and three events on the Rose Ladies Series, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dryburgh is the 25th different winner this season. The record for most different winners in a year is 26, in 1991 and 2018. There are two events left in the 2022 season.
In total, eight Japanese players sit inside the top 10 heading into Sunday.
With 18 holes left to play, Momoko Ueda leads the Toto Japan Classic by one shot over Gemma Dryburgh.
On Saturday, Ueda made her share of birdies (seven) around Seta Golf Course, however, she mixed in three bogeys to sign for a third-round 4-under 68. She sits at 14 under through three rounds.
Dryburgh has played better each day so far this week. She opened with a 71, then shot a 67 on Friday and signed for a 7-under 65 on day three. She’s one back at 13 under and searching for her first win on the LPGA.
In total, eight Japanese players sit inside the top 10 heading into Sunday.
World No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul struggled in the third round, shooting a 1-over 73 and now sits T-23, nine back.
The two-time winner of the event is in prime position heading to the weekend.
Momoko Ueda is accustomed to having success at the Toto Japan Classic.
She won the event in 2007 and again in 2011. A day after saying the golf course setup made her uncomfortable, she is the 36-hole leader for the LPGA’s event in Japan at 10-under 134, one of five Japanese players at the top of the leaderboard following the second round at Seta Golf Course.
Yet even after playing well enough to hold the lead, Ueda said it took her time to settle into the round.
“I was not in a good mood in the first 5 holes,” Ueda said. “During that time, Ai (Suzuki) and Sakura (Koiwai) made good putts and played well. So, I tried to catch up with them and not to think conservatively.”
Ueda recorded five straight pars to begin before a birdie on the sixth. A bogey on her ninth hole led to an even-par front nine, but her scorecard was colorful on the back nine. She had four birdies on Nos. 10, 13, 14 and 17 with one bogey to shoot 3-under 69 in the second round.
Miyu Yamashita and Suzuki are tied for second at 9 under. Suzuki was tied with Ueda for the lead after the first round but is hoping for more on the weekend after a 2-under performance on Friday.
“Hope today is the worst day of this week,” Suzuki said. “I need 60’s for the next 2 days.”
New world No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul sits tied for eighth at 6 under after a 5-under 67 on Friday.
“I had a really good round today,” Thitikul said. “A lot better than yesterday. But I think I have more to practice with my tee shot and driver because I don’t think it’s good enough for these narrow fairways.”
Japanese players pack the top of the leaderboard after the first round in Japan.
Ai Suzuki won the last co-sanctioned edition of the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic in 2019 but did not take LPGA membership. This week, she co-leads with compatriot Momoko Ueda after an opening 7-under 65. Ueda won this event in 2007 and 2011. Japanese players occupy the top five positions on the leaderboard at Seta Golf Course.
A 17-time winner on the JLPGA, Suzuki has five top-10 finishes this season but no victories.
“I am struggling with my swing,” said Suzuki of her winless 2022. “I had a swing coach, but it did not work well. Then I made a decision to play without coach anymore, and it just start go well.”
Ai Suzuki on the 18th green during the first round of the TOTO Japan Classic at Seta Golf Course North Course on Nov. 3, 2022 in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. (Photo by Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images)
Ueda posted five consecutive birdies from Nos. 10-14. She changed driver shafts this week and put a new putter in the bag. But it was the golf course setup that made her uncomfortable.
“Order of holes has been changed since I played here before,” she said. “That is why I could not remember each hole exactly until I came and see every hole. That is why I could not feel comfortable during my play today.”
Miyuu Yamashita, the best player on the JLPGA this year, opened with a 67. Yamashita is a three-time winner this season. She leads the JLPGA in top-10 finishes (18) and scoring (70.16). This is Yamashita’s second career LPGA start. She tied for 13th in her debut at the 2022 AIG Women’s British Open.
Newly minted No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul opened with a 71 to take a share of 30th. At the start of her round, her caddie, Banpot Bunpisansaree, was presented with the green caddie bib that recognizes the top-ranked player. Thitikul, 19, is a two-time winner this season and leads the tour in top-10 finishes with 14.
“I meant a lot to me, but I think it meant a lot more to him,” said Thitikul. “I think he dreams of wearing the green bib since day one of caddying for me.”
Linn Grant shot 69 despite early-week travel delays. The LET star was only able to play nine holes on Wednesday in her only practice round. She walked the back nine.
“Thank God we started on No. 1 so we got into it a bit,” she said. “I don’t feel too uncomfortable doing that, I feel like I got a good view of the back nine from just walking but it is a bit terrifying. Having the crowds here is nice, and I think my focus just turns on a bit more. I think today was a bonus for not playing which was nice.”
