Sports

[ODDS and EVENS] Rio Takeda Having a Breakthrough Season on the JLPGA Tour

Kumamoto Prefecture native Rio Takeda, 21, leads the JLPGA Tour in wins (six), top-10 finishes (15) and scoring average (69.2133) this season.

Published

5 days ago

September 14, 2024

Ed Odeven

Sony JLPGA Championship winner Rio Takeda is in her third season on the JLPGA Tour. (©SANKEI)

Read the full story on SportsLook - [ODDS and EVENS] Rio Takeda Having a Breakthrough Season on the JLPGA Tour

Rio Takeda is having an exceptional season on the JLPGA Tour.

She's had 15 top-10 finishes, including six tournament victories, in her 21 tournaments in the 2024 campaign. The 21–year-old rising golf star leads the tour in both categories.

Takeda won the Sony JLPGA Championship on Sunday, September 8 with a 19-under 269 at Kanehide Kise Country Club in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture.

It was a notable victory for multiple reasons. Takeda was a wire-to-wire winner to claim her first major Japanese title.

She collected her second straight tournament title after winning the Golf5 Ladies tournament by one stroke over Hinaco Yamauchi on September 1 in Gifu.

In addition, after taking a three-shot lead over Akie Iwai into Sunday's final round, the Kumamoto Prefecture native maintained her poise over the final 18 holes, carding a 3-under 69 with five birdies in the fourth round. And she held off two-time defending JLPGA season champion Miyuu Yamashita, who closed with a 6-under 66 to finish as the runner-up.

Handling the Pressure

After her one-stroke victory over Paris Olympian Yamashita, Takeda expressed a sigh of relief.

"I'm relieved after a long four days," Takeda said, according to Kyodo News. "I knew Miyuu-san was going to improve her score, so I felt pressure of not letting her catch up."

Elaborating on this aspect of golf, Takeda's comments also underscored the importance of maintaining focus in a pressure-packed final round at a big tournament.

"I looked at the scoreboard on the way to the green, and I knew that Miyuu-san was catching up," Takeda told reporters. "My goal today was to improve my score to 20 under. I knew the tournament record was 20 under.

"Yesterday and today, I was a little nervous before playing. That's why I started the day relaxed so that my swing wouldn't be stiff."

In addition to in-round adjustments based on the level of success of her shots, Takeda also kept a firm grip on other important factors on Sunday.

"Today, I was able to control my desire to win well," she told reporters in Okinawa. "By the way, it was hot for four days in this competition. I tried to keep my concentration up by drinking water to keep my mind off the heat."

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

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.