Rio Takeda Leads by Two in Blue Bay Showdown

Rio Takeda, a Japanese golfer, leads by two strokes in the LPGA Blue Bay tournament in Hainan after shooting a 69. Takeda seeks her second win after a sudden-death victory in Japan. She is closely followed by Gigi Stoll, Auston Kim, and Cassie Porter ahead of the final round.

Rio Takeda of Japan shot a solid 3-under 69 on Saturday, maintaining a two-shot lead in the LPGA Blue Bay tournament on China’s Hainan Island.

Heading into Sunday’s concluding round, Takeda is at 9-under 207. The 21-year-old golfer eyes her second LPGA win, having previously captured victory in the Toto Japan Classic.

Trailing two strokes behind are Gigi Stoll, Auston Kim, and Cassie Porter, while Jeeno Thitikul, ranked second in the world, is three shots off the lead. Local favorite and fourth-ranked player, Ruoning Yin of China, lags 10 shots behind.