Yoo Hae-ran Shoots 6 Under Par Surge... 'So Close, 3rd Place by 1 Stroke'

Toto Japan Classic FR: 7 Birdies, 1 Bogey
Non-member Takeda Defeats Alex in 6th Extra Round
Im Miyang 12th, Kim Hyoju 17th, Ko Jinyoung 22nd

This is Yoo Hae-ran's strong finish.

Yoo Hae-ran

On the 3rd, at the Seta Golf Course (par 72, 6,616 yards) in Shiga, Japan, the final third round of the LPGA Tour's 'Asian Swing' Toto Japan Classic (total prize money $2 million) concluded, where she shot 6-under par to secure 3rd place (14-under par 202 strokes). She recorded 7 birdies and 1 bogey. It was unfortunate that she missed the playoff by just one stroke. This marks her third consecutive top-10 finish in recent tournaments and her 13th top-10 appearance this year. Due to the impact of a typhoon the previous day, the tournament was shortened to 54 holes.

Takeda Rio (Japan), who competes on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, claimed her first LPGA Tour victory. She posted a 5-under par on the final day to tie with Marina Alex (USA) at 15-under par 201 strokes, then secured the winning birdie on the 6th playoff hole at the 18th hole (par 5). Before this tournament, the 'non-member' Takeda had six career wins on the JLPGA Tour. She earned a winner's prize of $300,000 (approximately 410 million KRW).

No Ye-rim (USA) and Fujita Saiki (Japan) tied for 4th place (13-under par 203 strokes), while Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) and Kawamoto Yui (Japan) shared 6th place (12-under par 204 strokes). Wakimoto Hana (Japan), who was the leader the previous day, struggled with a 1-over par round and dropped to the group tied for 6th. From Korea, Lee Mi-hyang finished tied for 12th (10-under par 206 strokes), Kim Hyo-joo tied for 17th (8-under par 208 strokes), and Ko Jin-young tied for 22nd (7-under par 209 strokes).