Leon Takagi

Photo by: Meghan Frazier

Photo by: David Dermer

Photo by: Samantha Blankenship

Photo by: David Dermer

Photo by: Kai Caddy

Photo by: David Dermer

Photo by: David Dermer

Photo by: David Dermer

Leon Takagi at the NCAA Championships 2023

Photo by: Tim Cowie

Photo by: Tim Cowie

Photo by: Max DeHerrera

Photo by: Max DeHerrera

Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Tokyo, Japan

2025-2026 (Senior):

Competed in five Fall events for the Flashes
Opened the season with three consecutive top-five finishes at the Boilermaker Classic, Wolverine Invitational, and Canadian Collegiate
Tied for fifth at the Boilermaker Classic, finishing at 2-under-par after posting scores under par in rounds one and three
Posted a season-best 3-under-par 68 in round two of the Wolverine Invitational to finish the event in fourth place at 1-over-par
Named MAC Golfer of the Week after leading the Flashes to a team win at the Wolverine Invitational
Recorded a 3-under-par 69 and an even-par 72 to finish at 3-under-par at the shortened 36-hole Canadian Collegiate
Concluded the Blessings Collegiate Invitational tied for 11th place

2024-2025 (Junior):

Named to the All-MAC First Team
Earned Academic All-MAC Team honors
Competed in every tournament for Kent State except for the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational
Posted her best finish of the Fall at the Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate, tying for 32nd place
Tallied six rounds of par or better, all in the Spring
Finished in the top 30 of every Spring tournament except for the Columbus NCAA Regional
Tied for seventh at the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational at 4-over-par, posting a 70 in round two for her lowest round of the season
Tied for eighth place at the MAC Championship with a 6-over-par 54-hole score
Appeared for the Flashes in the Columbus NCAA Regional

2023-2024 (Sophomore):

Named MAC Golfer of the Year
Winner of the individual MAC Championship
Named to the All-MAC First Team
Named to the MAC All-Tournament Team
Awarded MAC athlete of the week three times throughout the season
Led the team with seven top-15 finishes
Finished third at the Evie Odom Invitational after shooting 4-under-par
Fired a score of 5-under-par to finish third at the Mercedes Benz Collegiate
Her three top-five finishes were tied for the most on the team

2022-2023 (Freshman):

Was the lone golfer from Kent State to compete at the NCAA championships in Scottsdale, Arizona placing 47th
Named Second Team All-MAC
Tied for 5th at NCAA regional, shooting a 213, which was good for 3-under-par
Finished 1st at the MAC championships, shooting 1-under-par and a 219
Had one other top-20 finish coming at the Sunflower Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas
Recorded the top individual score for Kent State in her final five tournaments

Born in New York and raised in Tokyo, Takagi joined the Flashes as the 23rd-ranked amateur golfer in Japan. Takagi has shown promise from a young age, winning the 2013 US Kids World Championship and helping Yoyogi High School to late-season success with a top-ten finish in last year's Japan High School Golf Tournament.

Thoughts from Coach VanDamme: "Leon has an incredible golf resume and is one of the best amateur golfers in Japan. The strength of her game is her ball-striking, and her quiet confidence, drive, and work ethic were evident throughout the recruiting process."