Anna Iwanaga finishes as runner-up at U.S. Women's Amateur

17-year-old Anna Iwanaga finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship held at The Honor Course in Tennessee. After defeating Gabriela Nikastro in the semifinals, Iwanaga faced fellow 17-year-old Asterisk Talley in the final.

Despite leading by one hole at the 9th hole, Iwanaga lost momentum after the 11th hole, eventually falling to Talley with a score of 8 & 6. This result prevented Iwanaga from becoming only the third Japanese player to win the championship, following Michiko Hattori in 1985 and Saki Baba in 2022.

As the runner-up, Iwanaga has earned an invitation to the 2027 U.S. Women's Open, provided she maintains her amateur status. Reflecting on her performance, Iwanaga stated, "I am very happy that I was able to advance this far in this tournament. I learned a lot."