TOTO Japan Classic 2025 Betting Tips: Can Jamie go back-to-back on LPGA?

The LPGA closes out its five-week East Asian Swing in Japan this week, with the TOTO Japan Classic at Seta Golf Club’s North Course.

It is the final event before the tour heads back to Florida for two tournaments that will bring the 2025 season to an end: The ANNIKA (Nov 13-16) and the CME Group Tour Championship (Nov 20-23).

Our LPGA golf expert Jamie Worsley picked up a winner in Miyu Yamashita last week and is back with his usual long-read preview for the tournament. Check out his Toto Japan Classic Betting Tips below, where he has picked out four players ranging from 14/1 to 70/1.

You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest TOTO Japan Classic odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The TOTO Japan Classic was first held in 1973 and is co-sanctioned by the LPGA, and Japan's premier women's tour, the JLPGA. It used to be contested over 54 holes but became a 72-hole event in 2021.

Several players have won this tournament multiple times, but nothing compares to Annika Sorenstam's five consecutive victories from 2001-2005, which still stands as an LPGA record.

Last five winners:

• 2024 (Seta Golf Course – North)

Winner: Rio Takeda (-15, playoff)

Runner-up: Marina Alex (-15)

• 2023 (Taiheiyo Club – Minori Course)

Winner: Mone Inami (-22)

Runners-up: Seon-woo Bae, Shiho Kuwaki (-21)

• 2022 (Seta Golf Course – North)

Winner: Gemma Dryburgh (-20)

Runner-up: Kana Nagai (-16)

• 2021 (Seta Golf Course – North)

Winner: Ayaka Furue (-16)

Runner-up: Mone Inami (-13)

• 2020 (Taiheiyo Club – Minori Course)

Winner: Jiyai Shin (-19)

Runner-up: Yuka Saso (-16)

*  2021 and 2020 editions solely sanctioned by the JLPGA due to COVID

Rio Takeda won her first LPGA title in a weather-shortened 54-hole renewal last year, beating Marina Alex in a playoff. She returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Seta Golf Club's North Course was designed by Japanese architect Seiichi Inoue in 1978. It has hosted this event on 15 previous occasions, most recently in 2024, 2022, 2021, 2019, and 2018.

The course is a par 72 and will again play to 6616 yards this week. It possesses 4x par 3s (135-192 yards), 10x par 4s (350-411 yards), and 4x par 5s (476-540 yards). The layout is susceptible to low scoring if calm, as we saw with Gemma Dryburgh's -20 winning total in 2022.

Built on hilly terrain, this densely tree-lined course features elevation changes throughout, and water comes into play on five holes.

The sloping fairways are narrow, and while there is a lack of strategic bunkering, thick and wiry zoysia rough offers protection. Meanwhile, players must be smart in how they position the ball to avoid line-of-sight issues from the trees.

Zoysia makes way for bentgrass on the greens, which are average-large in size and will play at a slow 11-11.5 on the Stimp this week. With the majority sloping from back-to-front, it's important to keep the ball below the hole on approach, and unlike the fairways, the putting surfaces are heavily bunkered.

Containing three par 5s at 500 yards or less, and many short par 4s that can be got at with a drive and wedge, it's easy to see why scoring is often good here. With a lack of wind in this week's forecast, we should expect another low-scoring contest at Seta Golf Club.

THE WEATHER

The conditions are forecast to be largely pleasant and bright in Japan. Temperatures will hit 20°C each day and while we may see occasional gusts of over 20mph, general wind speeds will fall between a more gentle 6-8mph.

Rain is scheduled overnight prior to the final round and may continue into Sunday, which should soften up this course and aid the birdie making.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation

The stats for this event are incomplete, only including players from the LPGA. However, on the limited info we have it's clear that iron play is key around Seta Golf Club.

We don't have any tournament-specific stats for last year's winner, Rio Takeda, but she does rank 3^rd in approach and 1^st in greens-in-regulation (GIR) on the LPGA this season. Marina Alex ranked 2^nd in approach and 3^rd in GIR of the recorded players in 2024, while Haeran Ryu in 3^rd ranked 1^st in approach and 4^th in GIR.

Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh ranked 1^st in approach and 7^th in GIR when winning in 2022; 3^rd-place finisher Linn Grant ranked 16^th in approach and 4^th in GIR.

• SG: Off-the-Tee and/or Driving Accuracy

Driving is another area of importance and it's vital that players are in control off the tee.

Rio Takeda ranks 15^th off-the-tee (OTT) on the LPGA this season, displaying equal levels of length and accuracy. Marina Alex ranked 3^rd in driving accuracy when runner-up to the Japanese star last year, and 3^rd-place finisher Haeran Ryu ranked 3^rd OTT and 12^th in driving accuracy.

Gemma Dryburgh hit plenty of greens in 2022, ranking 7^th in driving accuracy. Linn Grant ranked 2^nd OTT and in 3^rd was Yuna Nishimura – a player who ranked 10^th in driving accuracy in her 2023 LPGA rookie season.

• SG: Putting (bentgrass)
• Birdie-or-Better %

The putter hasn't been quite the necessity that the long game has, but proven bentgrass putters are still of obvious interest. Meanwhile, with so many scoring opportunities around Seta Golf Club, we can also focus on those who rank highly in birdie-or-better %.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Evian Championship (Evian Resort)

The Evian Resort is the perfect comp for this week's test. It's a hilly, tree-lined course, with narrow, sloping fairways, strongly bunkered bentgrass greens, and elevation changes throughout.

Notable correlating form:

Ayaka Furue:

TOTO Japan Classic (1^st) / Evian (1^st)

Nasa Hatoka:

TOTO Japan Classic (1^st) / Evian (3^rd)

Gemma Dryburgh:

TOTO Japan Classic (1^st) / Evian (8^th)

Hyo Joo Kim:

TOTO Japan Classic (2^nd) / Evian (2^nd)

Carlota Ciganda:

TOTO Japan Classic (2^nd) / Evian (3^rd)

Minjee Lee:

TOTO Japan Classic (3^rd) / Evian (1^st, 3^rd)

Haeran Ryu:

TOTO Japan Classic (3^rd) / Evian (5^th)

Jennifer Kupcho:

TOTO Japan Classic (4^th) / Evian (2^nd)

Yealimi Noh:

TOTO Japan Classic (4^th) / Evian (3^rd)

Arkansas Championship (Pinnacle Country Club)

Pinnacle Country Club is an undulating, tree-lined course, with zoysia fairways, similarly-sized bentgrass greens, and features frequent elevation changes. This makes it a striking correlating venue for Seta Golf Club's North Course.

Notable correlating form:

Nasa Hataoka:

TOTO Japan Classic (1^st) / Arkansas (1^st, 1^st)

Hyo Joo Kim:

TOTO Japan Classic (2^nd) / Arkansas (2^nd)

Carlota Ciganda:

TOTO Japan Classic (2^nd) / Arkansas (6^th)

Marina Alex:

TOTO Japan Classic (2^nd) / Arkansas (8^th, 9^th)

Haeran Ryu:

TOTO Japan Classic (3^rd) / Arkansas (1^st)

Minjee Lee:

TOTO Japan Classic (3^rd) / Arkansas (2^nd, 3^rd)

Yuna Nishimura:

TOTO Japan Classic (4^th) / Arkansas (3^rd)

Jennifer Kupcho:

TOTO Japan Classic (4^th) / Arkansas (7^th)

Yealimi Noh:

TOTO Japan Classic (4^th) / Arkansas (8^th)

THE FIELD

World No. 3 Minjee Lee heads this week's entries, and she is joined by just one further top-10 player – last week's Maybank Championship winner and world No. 4 Miyu Yamashita.

There are another four top-25 players in attendance, including last year's TOTO Japan Classic winner Rio Takeda. She is one of six former winners in attendance, alongside Gemma Dryburgh (2022), Ayaka Furue (2021), Jiyai Shin (2020, 2010, 2008), Ai Suzuki (2019), and Nasa Hataoka (2018).

The field also includes 35 players from the JLPGA. Having recorded four wins in 2025, Shuri Sakuma is well ahead of the lot in the Mercedes Rankings (the JLPGA's money list), and she'll be hoping to make a similar splash to what compatriot Rio Takeda did last year, earning herself an automatic promotion to the LPGA.

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders: Minjee Lee 6/1, Miyu Yamashita 17/2, Akie Iwai 11/1, Nasa Hataoka 12/1, Ayaka Furue 14/1, Chisato Iwai 14/1

4 pts Ayaka Furue Win Only @ 14/1

Ayaka Furue turned her form around on a recent stint on the JLPGA and maintained it with a top-10 finish in last week's Maybank Championship. She's never finished outside the top 10 at Seta Golf Club in three visits – winning the JLPGA-sanctioned edition in 2021 – and looks the standout among the market leaders this week.

Furue was performing strongly at the beginning of the season, recording finishes of 2^nd in the HSBC Women's World Championship and 3^rd in the Blue Bay LPGA across her first six starts. She's been inconsistent since but did pick up another top-five finish when 4^th in the Shoprite Classic.

Her recent appearances on the JLPGA resulted in form figures of 9-6-19 and she carried that momentum to Malaysia, firing four rounds in the 60s to finish 9^th.

She produced a top-class display with her irons that week, ranking 3^rd in greens-in-regulation and 4^th in approach – areas in which she ranks 20^th and 24^th season-long. The driver has been typically reliable, ranking 6^th in driving accuracy and sitting inside the top 40 in birdie-or-better %, she has the birdie-making ability to score around this layout.

Furue won here on debut in 2021, and she has backed that up with 5^th and 10^th-place finishes in the co-sanctioned 2022 and 2024 renewals. Having made her major breakthrough in last year's Evian Championship, this is clearly the type of test that suits the diminutive home favourite.

1.5 pts Fuka Suga each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 28/1

Three of the last four co-sanctioned editions of this tournament have gone the way of JLPGA players. Japan is producing talent at a rapid pace at present, and I’ve got another couple of home-tour youngsters ready to make a splash at this level, starting with Fuka Suga.

Suga turned pro at the beginning of last year after a short but successful amateur career that saw her reach 18^th in the rankings. She showed potential in her rookie season on the JLPGA in 2024, picking up seven top-10s in 27 starts, and she’s built on that promise in 2025.

Starting the season with back-to-back 2^nd-place finishes, she finally went one better in the Dunlop Ladies Open at the end of September. Those efforts are part of a wider book of form that has seen her amass 15 top-10 finishes this year, and she arrives to make her debut at Seta Golf Club with finishes of 6^th, 3^rd, and 5^th in her last three outings.

Suga is a strong all-round performer, ranking 4^th in putts per GIR, 7^th in ball-striking, 7^th in greens-in-regulation, and 14^th in total driving on the JLPGA. With this, it’s no surprise that she ranks 3^rd in birdie average, and if she can bring that scoring ability to this week’s setup, don’t be shocked if she announces herself to this wider audience by walking away with the trophy.

1 pt Yuna Araki each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 66/1

Yuna Araki is another new pro who only shed her amateur status at the very end of 2024. She’s immediately established herself on the JLPGA in her rookie season, winning her first title back in September at the Golf5 Ladies. As a strong driver and prolific birdie maker, she can spring a surprise at Seta Golf Club.

Araki enjoyed a stellar amateur career, reaching a high of 4^th in the rankings. She won the Japan Junior Championship in 2022, before finishing 3^rd in the prestigious Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship later that year and repeated that same result in 2023. Other highlights include a victory in the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs (2023), another win in the Toyota Junior World Cup (2023), and she also finished 9^th in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur the same year.

The 20-year-old made an instant impact this year, finishing 7^th on her first start of 2025, and she has gone from strength to strength since. Her solo victory is one of 12 top-10s, which includes a runner-up finish in the Bridgestone Ladies Open at the end of May, and she arrives here having recorded four of those top-10s in her last eight appearances.

This event obviously represents a huge step up for Araki, but she certainly has the pedigree to make it to the top of the game, and with rankings of 6^th in birdie average, 7^th in total driving, and 9^th in putting average, she also has the skillset to tackle this layout.

1 pt Robyn Choi each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 70/1

My fourth-and-final selection in Japan is Robyn Choi, who has looked much more comfortable at this level in her second season on the LPGA. As a straight hitter who excels on the greens and makes plenty of birdies, she can add herself to that extensive list of first-time LPGA winners in this campaign.

Choi has made 15 starts on the LPGA in 2025 and has hit the top 25 on seven occasions. Her best effort came when she finished 9^th at the tight and tree-lined El Camaleon in the Riviera Maya Open in Mexico. Meanwhile, I’m happy to put her 67^th-place finish in last week’s Maybank Championship down as a blip, as she finished an encouraging 16^th in the BMW Ladies Championship on her previous start.

The Aussie excels with her short game, ranking 9^th in putting and 24^th around-the-greens. She’s a driver who depends on accuracy, ranking 4^th in fairways found this season, and sitting 24^th in birdie-or-better %, she ticks plenty of boxes for this test.

Choi has little comp form on offer, but she did finish 27^th on her Arkansas Championship debut last year – one of her most positive performances in 2024. That effort in Mexico is a plus, and I also think her 15^th-place finish in the CPKC Women’s Open – played on a tight, tree-lined, and undulating course – is another positive.

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