There is an inevitable sense of not if but when Mao Saigo will win on the LPGA Tour. That victory might just come on Sunday at the Buick LPGA Shanghai as the rookie, who has already racked up six top-10 finishes in her first season as a member, holds the solo lead going into the final round at Qizhong Garden Golf Club.

Saigo carded a flawless, 7-under 65 on Moving Day, which included five birdies and a critical eagle at the par-5 17th hole to take the outright lead heading into the final round for the first time in her LPGA Tour career.

“I knew that scores and standings were changing throughout the day,” Saigo said about keeping a watchful eye on the leaderboard. “I just concentrated on playing my best. I made some good shots and made that last long putt that put me into the lead.”

Saigo came into Saturday’s round one stroke behind 36-hole leader Sei Young Kim and missed only one fairway and two greens en route to her second consecutive round of 65. The rookie climbed to the top of the leaderboard with just 29 putts on Saturday.

Saigo’s solid play in the People’s Republic of China is just the latest in a string of impressive performances from the 23-year-old. Her consistency week-to-week has put her at the top of the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings, a position she has held since July. Saigo leads Jin Hee Im by 78 points with a total of 749 points through the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. A win on Sunday would earn Saigo an additional 150 points and further extend her lead over Im, who sits in a tie for 32nd heading into the final round in Shanghai.

Saigo’s success this season further cements the ever-growing influence that Japanese players are having on the LPGA Tour.

Should Saigo be victorious on Sunday, she would become the third player from Japan to win this year on the LPGA Tour, joining major champions Yuka Saso and Ayaka Furue. Saigo would also become the first player from Japan to win the Buick LPGA Shanghai, and should she parlay that success into ultimately being named Rookie of the Year, that would also be historic. Saigo would then become just the second player from Japan to receive the honor and the first to do so since Kiromi Kobayashi in 1990.

“I'm very happy to have the chance to play this year, my rookie year,” Saigo. “I focus, however, on what's ahead of me. Of course, it would be quite an honor to be able to be in the race for Rookie of the Year.”

But Saigo is like so many of the rookies who have found success in recent years on the LPGA Tour, as they’re often rookies in name only. Saigo found great success on the JLPGA before transitioning to the LPGA Tour and has six victories on the Japanese circuit.

Saigo will no doubt lean on that experience during the final round on Sunday as she looks to become a Rolex First-Time Winner on the LPGA Tour. She says she will remain focused on what lies ahead, which will mean holding off her two playing partners in the final group on Sunday, major champions Sei Young Kim and Ruoning Yin.

“I'm excited to play tomorrow and will do my best to try and win the tournament,” Saigo said ahead of the final round. “I really just am looking to concentrate on playing my best and doing my best out there.”

Mao Saigo Seeking First LPGA Tour Title at Buick LPGA Shanghai

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