Wikipedia

Yuka Saso

In this Japanese name, the surname is Saso.

Yuka Saso (笹生 優花, Sasō Yūka) (born 20 June 2001) is a Japanese professional golfer. Saso was born in the Philippines, competing for them through 2021, having won the first ever gold medal for the Philippines in both women's individual and women's team event in Asian Games golf competitions.[2][3][4][5] As of 2022, she represents Japan.

Yuka Saso
笹生 優花
Saso with her two gold medals she won for the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games
Personal information
Born (2001-06-20) 20 June 2001 (age 23)
San Ildefonso, Bulacan, Philippines[1]
Height166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Sporting nationality Philippines (until October 2021)
 Japan (November 2021 – present)
Career
Turned professional2019
Current tour(s)LPGA Tour
LPGA of Japan Tour
Professional wins4
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour2
LPGA of Japan Tour2
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 2)
Chevron ChampionshipT17: 2022
Women's PGA C'ship2nd: 2023
U.S. Women's OpenWon: 2021, 2024
Women's British OpenT39: 2021
Evian ChampionshipT3: 2023
Medal record
Women's Golf
Representing  Philippines
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jakarta–Palembang individual
Gold medal – first place 2018 Jakarta–Palembang team

Early life

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Saso was born on 20 June 2001, to a Filipina mother and a Japanese father, hence her Japanese name.[6] She started training in the sport of golf at the age of eight in 2009.[1] She admired Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy as a role model and watched video clips of him as a teenager, modeling her game after his style.[7]

Amateur career

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At the 2017 PSA Annual Awards, Saso received an award for winning the gold medal at the 2016 World Junior Girls Championship as well as leading the Philippines to victory in the team event.[8] Saso competed at the 2018 Women's Victorian Open as a part of the 2018 Ladies European Tour and finished at 17th position in the women's individual event.

With Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go, Saso secured an unexpected historic gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in the women's team event.[9][10][11] She also won the women's individual competition, the first Asian Games gold medal for the Philippines in the women's individual event.[12]

Saso also took part in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she almost won a medal.[13] After the final round of the women's individual competition, two other golfers, Alessia Nobilio of Italy and Emma Spitz of Austria, matched her result of 214 with Kim Grace of Australia winning the gold medal. Saso, Nobilio, and Spitz had to take part in a three-way playoff. Saso narrowly failed to win a medal with Nobilio winning silver and Spitz bronze.[14] Saso also played in the mixed team event pairing with male golfer and compatriot, Carl Jano Corpus.[13]

Saso did not participate in the Southeast Asian Games, opting to skip the regional games due to conflicting schedule in both the 2017[15] and 2019 editions.[16]

Saso is one of the three Filipino golfers who competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She finished 9th in the women’s individual event.

Professional career

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Saso turned professional in November 2019 after earning a LPGA of Japan Tour card for 2020.[17] In late June 2020, she made her debut at the Earth Mondahmin Cup in Chiba where she placed fifth.[18]

Saso earned her first victory at the 2020 NEC Karuizawa 72.[19] She then won the next event, the Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament.[20] On June 6, 2021, she won the 2021 U.S. Women's Open in a playoff against Nasa Hataoka, her first major title, becoming the first Filipino to win the tournament.[21] Saso, at age 19 years, 11 months, 17 days, matched Inbee Park (2008 U.S. Women's Open champion) as the youngest golfer to win the tournament.[22][23]

Starting with the 2022 LPGA Tour, Saso would be representing Japan following her decision to keep her Japanese citizenship as per Japanese law on dual nationality.[24]

Saso won her second U.S. Women's Open in 2024, defeating Hinako Shibuno by three strokes at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[25]

Citizenship

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Saso held both Japanese and Filipino citizenship but was obliged to renounce one of her two citizenships by the time she turns 22 years old in 2023 as per Japanese nationality law. In November 2021, Saso announced her intention to keep her Japanese citizenship.[26][27] She had completed the process by January 2022.[28]

Saso has represented the Philippines in international golf competitions until 2021 but started officially competing for Japan in 2022.[24][29][30] Saso, however, feels connection to both her Filipino and Japanese heritage.[30][31]

Amateur wins

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  • 2014 Sabah International Junior Masters, Visayas Regional Amateur and ALM Tournament
  • 2015 Kartini Cup
  • 2016 Philippine Junior Amateur, Philippine Junior Amateur Match Play, World Junior Girls Championship
  • 2017 Philippine Amateur Open Championship, Philippine Junior Amateur, Philippine Amateur Open Match Play Championship
  • 2018 Philippine Ladies Open, Victorian Junior Masters, Thunderbird International Junior, Asian Games (women's individual)
  • 2019 Philippine Ladies Open, Girl's Junior PGA Championship

Source:[3]

Professional wins (4)

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LPGA Tour wins (2)

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Legend
Major championships (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)
1 6 Jun 2021 U.S. Women's Open 69-67-71-73=280 −4 Playoff   Nasa Hataoka 1,000,000
2 2 Jun 2024 U.S. Women's Open (2) 68-71-69-68=276 −4 3 strokes   Hinako Shibuno 2,400,000

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 2021 U.S. Women's Open   Nasa Hataoka Tied two-hole aggregate playoff
Won with birdie on third playoff hole:
Hataoka: 4-4=8 (E), 4, Saso: 4-4=8 (E), 3

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 16 Aug 2020 NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament 65-72-63=200 −16 4 strokes   Saiki Fujita
  Maiko Wakabayashi
2 30 Aug 2020 Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament 67-69-68-71=275 −13 2 strokes   Sakura Koiwai

Major championships

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Wins (2)

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Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2021 U.S. Women's Open 1 shot deficit −4 (69-67-71-73=280) Playoff1   Nasa Hataoka
2024 U.S. Women's Open (2) 3 shots deficit −4 (68-71-69-68=276) 3 strokes   Hinako Shibuno

1 Defeated Hataoka in a two-hole aggregate playoff, followed by a sudden-death playoff: Saso (4-4-3=11) and Hataoka (4-4-4=12 )

Results timeline

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Tournament 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Chevron Championship T50 T17 CUT T30
U.S. Women's Open CUT T13 1 CUT T20 1
Women's PGA Championship T21 T30 2 68
Evian Championship NT CUT T3 CUT
Women's British Open T39 CUT CUT CUT
  Win
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Chevron Championship 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 3
U.S. Women's Open 2 0 0 2 2 4 6 4
Women's PGA Championship 0 1 0 1 1 2 4 4
The Evian Championship 0 0 1 1 1 1 3 1
Women's British Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1
Totals 2 1 1 4 4 8 21 13
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (2020 U.S. Open – 2022 Chevron)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

LPGA Tour career summary

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Year Tournaments
played		 Cuts
made*		 Wins (Majors) 2nd 3rd Top 10s Best
finish		 Earnings
(US$)		 Money
list rank		 Scoring
average		 Scoring
rank
2019 1 0 0 0 0 0 CUT n/a n/a 74.00 n/a
2020 3 2 0 0 0 0 T13 n/a n/a 72.40 n/a
2021 10 10 1 (1) 0 0 4 1 1,517,876 6 69.36 4
2022 26 19 0 1 1 4 2 773,294 36 70.73 34
2023 22 17 0 1 2 8 2 1,822,486 9 70.29 14
2024 9 8 1 (1) 0 0 2 1 2,608,316 2 70.72 14
Totals^ 67 (2021) 54 (2021) 2 (2) 2 3 18 1 6,721,972 57

^ Official as of 2 June 2024[32][33][34]
^Includes matchplay and other tournaments without a cut.

World ranking

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Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

Year Ranking Source
2016 838 [35]
2017 533 [36]
2018 545 [37]
2019 282 [38]
2020 45 [39]
2021 8 [40]
2022 32 [41]
2023 27 [42]
2024 6 [43]

Team appearances

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Amateur

Source:[3]

Professional

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Yuka Saso". Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  2. ^ "笹生 優花". Japan Golf Association. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Yuka Saso". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  4. ^ Carandang, Justin Kenneth (26 August 2018). "Yuka Saso brings gold from golf, Bianca Pagdanganan bags 10th bronze for PHL". GMA News Online. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  5. ^ Ventura, Sid (26 August 2018). "Women's golf team strikes double gold in dramatic finish". ESPN. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Saso has Bulakenya blood running in her veins". The Manila Times. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  7. ^ Wire, Coy; Morse, Ben (7 June 2021). "Yuka Saso: The 19-year-old major winner who modeled her game on Rory McIlroy's after watching him on YouTube". CNN. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  8. ^ "PSA to honor Frayna, Medina in awards rites". The Philippine Star. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Golden golf double for PH women's team". Rappler. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  10. ^ Lozada, Bong (26 August 2018). "Asian Games: Saso, PH women's golf team deliver 2 golds, 1 bronze". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  11. ^ Terrado, Reuben (26 August 2018). "Yuka Saso, pals win two unlikely gold medals in golf to lift PH team spirits". Spin.ph. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Asian Games: Yuka Saso, Philippines women's golf team bag 2 gold medals". ABS-CBN News. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  13. ^ a b Navarro, June (16 October 2018). "PH's Youth Olympic Games campaign ends with 1 silver as golfers, archer bow out". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Youth Olympic Games: Golfer Yuka Saso falters in playoff, misses out on medal". ABS-CBN News. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  15. ^ Leyba, Olmin (3 July 2017). "PH golfer Yuka Saso to miss SEA Games". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  16. ^ Flores, Adrian (28 November 2019). "Champion golfer Yuka Saso will miss SEA Games, says coach". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  17. ^ Romine, Brentley (20 November 2019). "Signing day wrap: Top players, notable signings for Class of 2020". Golf Channel.
  18. ^ "Golf: No title, but Yuka Saso still outstanding in Japan LPGA debut". ABS-CBN News. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  19. ^ Lozada, Bong (16 August 2020). "Yuka Saso claims NEC title, wins first JLPGA". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  20. ^ "Golf: Steady Yuka Saso clinches second Japan LPGA title". ABS-CBN News. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Philippines' Yuka Saso triumphs in playoff to win US Women's Open". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Reuters. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Filipino-Japanese teen Yuka Saso wins U.S. Women's Open". The Japan Times. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Yuka Saso birdies third playoff hole, becomes second teen to win U.S. Women's Open". ESPN. Associated Press. 6 June 2021.
  24. ^ a b Li, Matthew (17 January 2022). "Yuka Saso to no longer carry PH flag in LPGA". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  25. ^ Harvey, Coley (2 June 2024). "Yuka Saso, 22, captures second U.S. Women's Open title". ESPN.
  26. ^ "Yuka Saso set to choose Japanese citizenship". BusinessWorld. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  27. ^ Veran, Jan (3 November 2021). "Yuka Saso chooses Japanese nationality". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  28. ^ Veran, Jan (20 January 2022). "Early citizenship switch a must for Yuka Saso". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  29. ^ "'Very Filipina': Yuka Saso on choosing to represent the Philippines". Rappler. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  30. ^ a b Terrado, Reuben (21 February 2022). "Yuka Saso says she'll 'forever be proud to be a Filipino'". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  31. ^ Masangkay, May (3 August 2021). "Super Saso shouldering golfing hopes of 2 nations in Tokyo". Kyodo News. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Yuka Saso stats". LPGA. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Yuka Saso results". LPGA. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  34. ^ "Career Money". LPGA. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  35. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2016.
  36. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2017.
  37. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2018.
  38. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2019.
  39. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2020.
  40. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 27 December 2021.
  41. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2022.
  42. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2023.
  43. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 3 June 2024.
  44. ^ "Golfer Yuka Saso to be hailed as Athlete of the Year". ABS-CBN News. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
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