Yuka Saso has not been a professional for long but is already one of the most respected players in the women's game. Discover more about her life and career in golf so far via these 16 facts.
Yuka Saso Facts
1. Yuka Saso was born on June 20, 2001 in San Ildefonso, Philippines to a Filipino mother and Japanese father.
2. She started playing golf aged eight and began trying to improve by watching clips of Rory McIlroy on YouTube.
3. As an amateur, Saso played in the 2018 Women’s Victorian Open on the Ladies European Tour, making the cut and finishing in a tie for 17th.
4. Alongside Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go, she won a gold medal for the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games in the women’s team event.
5. Saso also won the individual event at the 2018 Asian Games, becoming the first player from the Philippines to win gold in the women’s individual golf event in the history of the Games.
6. In 2018, she narrowly missed out on a medal at the Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina after losing in a three-for-two medal playoff for silver and bronze.
7. After earning her LPGA of Japan Tour card for 2020, Saso turned pro in November 2019.
8. She placed fifth in her professional debut at the Earth Mondahmin Cup in June 2020.
9. Her first professional win arrived at the 2020 NEC Karuizawa 72 where she posted a three-round total of 16-under.
10. Riding the wave of momentum, Saso made it back-to-back victories when she won the Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament on her next start.
11. In June 2021, she won her first major title at the US Women’s Open in a play-off against Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, becoming the first male or female player from the Philippines to taste major championship success.
12. At 19 years, 11 months and 17 days, Saso also became the joint youngest winner of the US Open, remarkably matching Inbee Park who was the exact same age when she won the 2008 edition.
13. In 2021, Saso became the fourth player in three years to win a major without being a member of the LPGA Tour, following A Lim Kim (2020 US Women’s Open), Sophia Popov (2020 AIG Women’s Open) and Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open).
14. From the beginning of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, Saso - who also held a Filipino passport - announced she would be exclusively representing Japan from then on. Japanese nationality law states citizens are not allowed to hold dual-nationality once they turn 22 years old.
15. Saso represented the Philippines at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Following her change in nationality, she went on to represent Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
16. Saso won her second US Women's Open in 2024, defeating Hinako Shibuno by three strokes at Lancaster Country Club, Pennsylvania.
