Rio Takeda of Japan shoots a blistering 8-under 64 in China to win her second LPGA title

Posted March 09, 2025 4:46 pm

By The Associated Press

SANYA, China — Rio Takeda shot a blistering 8-under 64 on Sunday to win the LPGA's Blue Bay tournament by six shots ahead of Minjee Lee of Australia, the second LPGA title for the young Japanese.

The 21-year-old Takeda finished on 17-under 271 for the four rounds on China's southern island of Hainan. She opened with rounds of 69-69-69 before carding the 64.

Lee closed with a 67 to finish on 277 with Japanese Ayaka Furue a further shot back after a 68 to finish on 10-under 278.

Takeda won her first LPGA title four months ago, taking the Toto Japan Classic in a six-hole sudden-death playoff.

Jeeno Thitikul, the LPGA's No. 2-ranked player, closed with a disappointing 74 and was 13 strokes off the pace. She finished on 4-under 284.

It was also a disappointing tournament for Ruoning Yin of China. She is ranked No. 4 but finished with a 73 and was 19 shots off the winning pace.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Takeda Rio of Japan plays a shot during the fourth round of the Blue Bay LPGA golf tournament in Lingshui, south China's Hainan Province, Sunday March 9, 2025. (Yang Guanyu/Xinhua via AP) AP

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