LPGA rookie Rio Takeda put together one of the most dominant performances in recent tour history, winning the Blue Bay LPGA by six strokes over Minjee Lee.
Takeda came into the round showcasing ultimate consistency, shooting 69 each of the first three days. She held a two-stroke advantage entering the final day, looking for her second career victory on the LPGA Tour.
Takeda took her game to the next level in the final round though.
On Sunday, Takeda had eight birdies with no bogeys to shoot a -8 64. She was the only player in the field to shoot better than 67 on the day, which is why she jumped out to such a dominant margin of victory.
Despite some issues with control off the tee this week, she looked comfortable in the final round, hitting 11 fairways. She paired good play off the tee with precise approach shots and phenomenal putting. Takeda hit 14 greens in regulation and needed only 24 putts.
Takeda is currently ranked No. 17 in the world because of her dominance on the JLPGA Tour, but is bound to move up dramatically after this win. The fantastic play that she showed in Japan, winning eight times in 2024, is clearly translating well to the LPGA Tour, as she has just 11 career starts, but six top-10 finishes and two wins already.
