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[ODDS and EVENS] Rio Takeda Showcases Talent at Blue Bay LPGA in China

With a bogey-free final round, LPGA Tour rookie Rio Takeda earned a runaway win, her first title of 2025. Takeda sank birdies on three of her first four holes.

by
Ed Odeven
March 13, 2025

With a six-stroke victory in the Blue Bay LPGA tournament on Sunday, March 9, Rio Takeda reaffirmed her status as an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with in women's professional golf.

On the domestic JLPGA Tour in 2024, Takeda captured eight titles in 32 starts and had an impressive 23 top-10 finishes. As a result, she earned the tour's overall title.

Now competing on the overseas LPGA Tour as a promising rookie, the Kumamoto Prefecture native is showcasing her all-around golf skills to a larger audience.

In reviewing Takeda's title-winning performance in the Blue Bay LPGA event on Hainan Island in Lingshui, China, the following adjectives immediately come to mind: poised, smooth, consistent and outstanding. Many other words can, of course, be used to describe her 17-under 271, which was capped by an 8-under 64 on Sunday. Adaptability would be a good one.

After all, Takeda said the following after the fourth round, Agence France-Presse reported: "I'm really happy to win this tournament because the course layout is really different … compared to Japanese courses."

Takeda, who turns 22 on April 2, had zero bogeys and eight birdies in the final round to secure the LPGA Tour's biggest margin of victory so far in the 2025 season.

What was the key to victory?

"I could win this tournament because my strongest point is driving distance," Takeda told reporters at Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course. "So it worked well this tournament."

A Model of Consistency

Rio Takeda put herself in position to contend for the Blue Bay title (her second win in LPGA Tour events) by carding 3-under 69s in the first, second and third rounds on Hainan Island.

Heading into the tournament's final round, Takeda held a two-stroke lead over American pros Gigi Stoll and Auston Kim and Australia's Cassie Porter. And she was determined to give it her all on Sunday.

"I don't want to pay too much attention to the score," Takeda said after the third round, "but just take it hole by hole and do my best."

That approach worked.

"[On] the final day, I started at the top and I had a desire to win this tournament," Takeda said after wrapping the win. "I could win this tournament, finally, so I feel really great now."

In a nutshell, the final round demonstrated that Takeda is one of the top young female golfers in the world. She had birdies on the first, third and fourth holes to continue her stellar form and a 3-under 33 on the front nine. And she closed out the final round with a 31 on the back nine, including five more birdies.

Minjee Lee of Australia was the runner-up at 11-under, followed by Ayaka Furue at 10-under 278, and Japanese compatriot Mao Saigo finished in a three-way tie for fifth at 6-under 282. Porter settled for fourth at 7-under 281.

Takeda has competed in five LPGA Tour tournaments in 2025 and finished in the top 10 in three of them.

She opened the season by placing eighth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and tied for ninth at the Honda LPGA Thailand event on February 23.

Family Support for Rio Takeda

Satoko Hirase, Takeda's mother, competed in 96 JLPGA Tour events during her time as a pro golfer (1990-2002). Nowadays, she actively supports her daughter's career.

For Takeda, having her mother in the gallery during Sunday's final round was special.

In the post-tournament press conference, a reporter asked Takeda, "Your mom is here and travels with you. How helpful is it to have her out here and be a support system for you?"

She responded by saying, "I appreciate my mom and I could focus like everything, including golf and other things, too. So I really appreciated being with mom all the time."

Beyond the skill set involved in competing at the highest level and proper exercise, the personal bonds of pro athletes ― human connections ― can be overlooked when thinking about the keys to success.

At this stage of Takeda's career, her mother's support at the golf course is important.

Unaware of their plans in the coming days, I imagine Takeda may feel, or have already felt, the urge to splurge and purchase a special gift for her mother as a token of thanks for her support. Takeda received a $375,000 USD (¥55.5 million JPY) winner's check on Sunday.

What's Next for Rio Takeda?

The LPGA Tour's Ford Championship is set to be held on March 27-30 in Chandler, Arizona. Keep an eye on Takeda throughout the competition.

She's a compelling competitor. And she's demonstrated the ability to win convincingly, as well as under the high-stakes pressure of a sudden-death playoff that lasted six holes in the Toto Japan Classic in November 2024.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.