Twin sisters Chizzy and Aki Iwai of Japan put themselves in prime position at the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern, putting together matching strong performances to sit in a share of second place heading into Sunday's final round.

Chizzy carded a second-round 3-under-par 68 on Saturday to vault up the leaderboard. Her steady round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole, alongside four birdies and three bogeys.

"At the second shot when I hit the moment, I felt oh, so good," Chizzy Iwai said of her eagle. "And then, yeah, chipping, it's a little bit lucky because a little bit too strong shot. But, yeah I believe it was good shot."

Chizzy relied heavily on an exceptional short game, needing only 24 putts on the day, the lowest total of any player in the field during the second round.

"I don't think too much this week," she said regarding the tournament's tricky greens. "And then, yeah, my putting was getting better, so this week focused slow stroke. That's why, yeah, I had a good feeling today."

Currently in her sophomore season on the LPGA Tour, Chizzy is chasing her second career tour victory. She has recorded three top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up finish at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February, a tie for ninth at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass in March, and a tie for seventh at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro in April.

Her identical twin sister, Aki, also fired a 3-under 68 on Saturday's "moving day" to join her sister near the top. Aki started the day tied for 31st before surging 29 spots up the leaderboard on an afternoon when low scores were hard to come by. Her round included six birdies against three bogeys, while hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens in regulation. She needed just 26 putts to complete her round.

Like her sister, the 23-year-old is an LPGA Tour sophomore seeking her second LPGA victory. She has made nine cuts in 11 starts this season, recording top-10 finishes a tie for eighth at the HSBC Women's World Championship in February and a tie for fifth the Aramco Championship in April

The sisters made LPGA history in 2025 by becoming the first set of twins to both win on the tour and are part of a crowded chase pack. They share second place with 2025 Dow Championship winner Somi Lee, six-time LPGA winner Celine Boutier, and Israel's Laetitia Beck.

Chizzy and Aki Iwai Match 68s to Chase Lead at ShopRite LPGA

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