Turns out two Iwai’s are better than one.

Aki and Chizzy Iwai — the 23-year-old Japanese twins competing as “Aki & Chizzy” — put on a best-ball clinic Friday morning at Midland Country Club, firing a 7-under 63 in the second round of the Dow Championship to jump to 9-under 131. With the first wave still finishing up, the sisters sit just two shots behind current leaders Ayaka Furue and Yuna Nishimura, who lead at 11-under. Fellow Japanese pair? Coincidence? Maybe.

The back nine was where the magic started. The Iwai’s came out of the gate like they had somewhere to be — birdies on holes 10, 12, 14 and 15 had them rolling before a fifth consecutive gain on No. 17 capped a stunning run. Five birdies, zero bogeys, a 30 on the back. By the time they made the turn, Midland was starting to feel a lot smaller.

“We tried to stay focused on our routine,” Chizzy said. “I had a good feeling come back this year.”

The front nine introduced the only wrinkle of the day. After three quiet pars on the first three holes, a bogey on the par-3 4th nudged them back to 6-under. A birdie on the par-3 7th got them right back on track, and then the twins delivered the kind of finish that makes leaderboards nervous: back-to-back birdies on the par-4 8th and par-4 9th to post a 63 and reach 9-under for the tournament.

Eight birdies. One bogey. A round that made best-ball look almost unfairly fun.

It helps when you’re playing partners are good company. The Iwai’s teed off at 7:54 a.m. alongside Nelly Korda and Olivia Cowan — better known as the “Legally Blondes” — who currently in good position heading into the weekend at 10-under. Asked whether anything changed in the game plan from last year to this one, Aki kept it short.

“No change, just having fun,” she said. “We are lucky because we got to play with Nelly and Olivia and they are such a great group. It was really fun.”

Good vibes and birdies — not a bad combination.

Both twins have had plenty to smile about this season. Aki has made 11 of 13 cuts with top-10 finishes at the HSBC Women’s World Championship (T8) and the Aramco Championship (T5). Chizzy has been equally relentless, collecting four top-10s in 2026 — at the Honda LPGA Thailand (2), the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass (T9), the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro (T7) and the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern (T4). Both twins captured their first LPGA Tour wins during their rookie season in 2025, and while the Dow Championship doesn’t hand out Rolex Rankings points, a Sunday victory still counts as an official LPGA Tour title — meaning two shots back with 36 holes to play is a very good place to be hunting win number two.

The Dow Championship continues Saturday at Midland Country Club with Round 3 in foursomes (alternate shot) format.

Twice as Nice: Iwai Twins Fire 7-Under 63, Climb the Leaderboard at Dow Championship

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