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Fans have reacted to Chisato Iwai's breakthrough at the Riviera Maya Open 2025 at El Camaleon Course at Mayakoba. The Japanese player won by six strokes over the USA's Jenny Bae in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Sunday, May 25.
Iwai had a strong start in the first round, when she posted a score of 4-under 68 with five birdies against a bogey. She followed it with a 2-over 74 in the second round and made the cut, which was 5-over par.
In the third round, she made a bogey-free round of 68 with four birdies. She finished the tournament with a 6-under 66 with seven birdies against a bogey. With a score of 12-under, she registered her first win on the LPGA Tour.
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The LPGA Tour took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Iwai's achievement, writing:
"Rookie Chisato Iwai secures her first win on the LPGA Tour here @RivieraMayaOpen"
Fans took to the comments section to congratulate the 22-year-old and praised her technique. They also praised her standout performance under challenging conditions, with some noting the rising strength of Japanese golfers on tour.
"Fabulous swinger of the club. Never seen a player place their hands on the club better. Plays every shot as though it is a feel shot. And, that has to be one of the secrets to her game," a fan commented.
"That was impressive," a fan praised.
"Wow unbelievable Chisato played so hot. Others were struggling. Japanese women golfer getting stronger. Well done her first rookie... pity for @JennyShin_LPGA. Was hopefully for her to win. The course was tougher and beautiful," another fan opined.
Some fans also praised the colourful trophy of a chameleon in the comments.
"A cute trophy!" a fan wrote.
"That's a cool trophy!" another fan commented.
"Way cooler trophy than the cricket trophy," a fan referenced the cricket bat trophy at the 2025 Truist Championship on PGA Tour.
Chisato Iwai won a total prize money of $375,000 from a prize purse of $2.5 million. Jenny Bae, runner-up at the 2025 Riviera Mayo Open, took home $235,137.
A look at Chisato Iwai's performance in 2025
Chisato Iwai has had a decent start to the 2025 season. She has competed in eight tournaments and made the cut in six of them. She has had one top-10 finish and four top-25 finishes.
She jumped to 18th in the Race to CME Globe with her win at the Riviera Mayo Open. Iwai's notable performances this year include a T11 at the JM Eagle LA Championship and a T22 at the Ford Championship.
Let's take a look at Chisato Iwai's performances in the 2025 LPGA Tournaments:
- Founders Cup pres. by U.S. Virgin Islands: Missed Cut (146, +4)
- Honda LPGA Thailand: T24 (278, -10)
- Ford Championship pres. by Wild Horse Pass: T22 (274, -14)
- JM Eagle LA Championship pres. by Plastpro: T11 (273, -15)
- The Chevron Championship: T30 (290, +2)
- Black Desert Championship: Missed Cut (143, -1)
- Mizuho Americas Open: T38 (289, +1)
- MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba: 1 (276, -12)
