Rio Takeda (竹田 麗央, Takeda Rio) (born 2 April 2003) is a Japanese professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour where she has 8 wins.[1]

Rio Takeda
竹田 麗央
Personal information
Born (2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 21)
Kōshi, Kumamoto, Japan
Height167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Sporting nationality Japan
Career
Turned professional2022
Current tour(s)LPGA of Japan Tour (joined 2022)
Professional wins8
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour1
LPGA of Japan Tour8
Best results in LPGA major championships
Chevron ChampionshipDNP
Women's PGA C'shipT32: 2024
U.S. Women's OpenT9: 2024
Women's British OpenCUT: 2024
Evian ChampionshipT55: 2024
Achievements and awards
LPGA of Japan Tour
Player of the Year
2024
LPGA of Japan Tour
leading money winner
2024

Career

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Takeda was born in Kōshi, Kumamoto in 2003 and started playing golf when she was six years old. She enjoyed success as an amateur and won the 39th Kyushu Junior Golf Championship.[1]

In the fall of 2021, Takeda won the low amateur title at the 54th Japan Women's Open Golf Championship. The distinction earned her a spot in the final qualifying for the LPGA of Japan Tour, where she finished 5th. She turned professional and joined the tour for the 2022 season.[1]

In the spring of 2024, Takeda captured the KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open and Fujisankei Ladies Classic back-to-back, for her first two wins on the JLPGA.[2]

She entered her first major in the 2024 U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club, where she finished top-10.[3]

Personal life

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Her mother, Satoko Hirase is a former professional golfer. So is her aunt, Mayumi Hirase, who has 18 wins on the LPGA of Japan Tour (1989–2000) and one LPGA Tour win in 1996.[4][5]

Professional wins (8)

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LPGA of Japan Tour wins (8)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 14 Apr 2024 KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open 73-66-70=209 −7 2 strokes   Lee Min-young
  Ai Suzuki
  Karen Tsuruoka
2 21 Apr 2024 Fujisankei Ladies Classic 67-67-67=201 −12 3 strokes   Mitsuki Kobayashi
3 19 May 2024 Bridgestone Ladies Open 67-67-72-68=274 −14 2 strokes   Yui Kawamoto
  Miyū Yamashita
4 4 Aug 2024 Hokkaido Meiji Cup 68-70-66=204 −12 1 stroke   Yui Kawamoto
5 1 Sep 2024 Golf 5 Ladies Professional Golf Tournament 68-66=134 −10 1 stroke   Hinako Yamauchi
6 8 Sep 2024 Sony JLPGA Championship 64-67-69-69=269 −19 1 stroke   Miyū Yamashita
7 29 Sep 2024 Japan Women's Open Golf Championship 72-69-67-70=278 −10 2 strokes   Akie Iwai
8 3 Nov 2024 Toto Japan Classic[1] 69-65-67=201 −15 Playoff   Marina Alex

1 Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour.
Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in LPGA of Japan Tour.

LPGA Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 3 Nov 2024 Toto Japan Classic[2] 69-65-67=201 −15 Playoff   Marina Alex

2 Co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Japan Tour.

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2024 Toto Japan Classic   Marina Alex Won with birdie on sixth extra hole

Results in LPGA majors

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! Tournament 2024
Chevron Championship
U.S. Women's Open T9
Women's PGA Championship T32
The Evian Championship T55
Women's British Open CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Chevron Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
U.S. Women's Open 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
Women's PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
The Evian Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Women's British Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 3

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Rio Takeda". LPGA of Japan. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  2. ^ "【2024】KKTcup VANTELIN Ladies Open". JLPGA.
  3. ^ "Rio Takeda". United States Golf Association. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Rio Takeda Profile". Golf Digest Japan. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  5. ^ "平瀬真由美めい竹田麗央4位 ツアー史上8人目アマチュア優勝ならず". 日刊スポーツNEWS (in Japanese). 日刊スポーツ新聞社. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
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