SHIGA, Japan (AP) — Rio Takeda of Japan won the Toto Japan Classic on Sunday in a six-hole playoff against Marina Alex to capture her first LPGA Tour title.
Takeda closed with a 5-under 67 while Alex had a 66 to match her 15-under 201. The tournament was reduced to 54 holes because Saturday’s third round was washed out by rain.
Both made birdie on the first playoff, and both made pars on the next four holes until Takeda birdied the par-5 18th and the American could only manage a par.
Haeran Ryu of South Korea had a 66 to finish one shot out of the playoff. Hana Wakimoto of Japan, the leader after the first two rounds, slipped to a 73 and finished three strokes behind the leaders. She was also seeking her first LPGA Tour win.
Ayaka Furue tied for 10th. With Furue not winning, Nelly Korda clinched LPGA player of the year for the first time.
Other tours
Richard T. Lee of Canada closed with a 2-under 70 and won the BNI Indonesian Masters by four shots on Sunday. It was his third Asian Tour title and first in seven years. Wei Lun Chang of Taiwan and Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand tied for second at Royale Jakarta. … Kristoffer Reitan of Norway closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final that secured a European tour card for next year. Rasmua Neergaard-Petersen, who tied for second, won the Road to Mallorca ranking for the season on the Challenge Tour. … Charley Hull of England closed with a 6-under 66 for a three-shot victory over Nicole Broch Estrup in the Aramco Team Series-Riyadh on the Ladies European Tour. … Jak Carter closed with a 3-under 69 and beat defending champion Phoenix Campball in a playoff to capture the Queensland PGA Championship. Cameron Smith shot 70 and tied for third, three shots behind. … Jonathan Broomhead had seven points in modified Stableford scoring for a four-point victory over Ricky Hendler in the Blue Label Challenge on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. … Da Som Ma defeated Su Ji Kim on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the S-Oil Championship on the Korea LPGA.
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