Who is Yuka Saso?
She’s a two-time US Women’s Open winner, but who is Yuka Saso? Find out more about the Japanese star here…
Yuka Saso is the only Filipino major champion in golf’s history, but now represents Japan on the LPGA Tour.
Saso was born in June 2001 in the Philippines, and began playing golf at the age of 9, watching clips of a certain Northern Irishman and trying to copy his swing. She would turn professional in 2019, a year after winning two Gold Medals at the Asian Games – winning both the Individual and Team competitions.
She would soon win on the LPGA Tour of Japan. Her maiden victory came in 2020, at the NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament. Saso would only have to wait seven days before her second win, going back-to-back to also claim the Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament.
Her maiden major victory came at the 2021 US Women’s Open – which was also her first LPGA Tour win as well. She lifted the Harton S. Semple Trophy after beating Japan’s Nasa Hataoka in a playoff, one that went to sudden death after the pair were still tied after the two-hole aggregate playoff holes. Three years later, she would again taste victory at the US Women’s Open, this time at Lancaster Country Club. In doing so, she became the youngest player to ever win the tournament twice, and just the third player whose first two wins on the LPGA Tour were both majors.
Yuka Saso | Player Profile
Personal Information
Name: Yuka Saso
Born: June 20, 2001
Nationality: Japan (formerly Philippines)
Residence: Bulacan, Philippines
Career
Turned Pro: 2019
Professional Wins: 4
Highest World Ranking: 5 – October 11, 2021
Best Results In Majors
Best Finishes:
– Chevron Championship – T17 (2022)
– Women’s PGA Championship – 2nd (2023)
– US Women’s Open – WON (2021, 2024)
– Amundi Evian Championship – T3 (2023)
– AIG Women’s Open – T39 (2021)
Professional Wins – 3
2020 (2) – NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Tournament, Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament
2021 (1) – US Women’s Open
2024 (1) – US Women’s Open
Achievements and Awards
Asian Games Individual Gold Medal – 2018
Asian Games Team Gold Medal – 2018
Yuka Saso | What’s In Her Bag?
Saso is a Callaway staffer, playing the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver and the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max fairway wood. She uses the Apex CB and Apex MB irons, along with four Callaway wedges. The Chrome Soft X is her golf ball of choice.
You can check out our full piece on what’s in Yuka Saso’s bag here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Yuka Saso
When and where was Yuka Saso born?
Yuka Saso was born in Bulacan in the Philippines in June 2001, and began playing the game from a young age.
When did Yuka Saso turn professional?
Yuka Saso turned professional in 2019 at the age of just 18, and played on the LPGA Tour of Japan for her first couple of years.
How many professional titles has Yuka Saso won?
As of May 2024, Yuka Saso is a four-time winner in her professional career, with two of those being major championships. Her first two victories came in 2020 on the LPGA Tour of Japan, and a year later, she won the first of two US Women’s Open crowns. Her second came in 2024.
Did you Know?
USWO & Filipino History
When Saso lifted the Harton S. Semple Trophy in 2021, she was 19 years, 11 months and 17 days old. Incredibly, she matched the record as the youngest winner of the tournament to the day, joining 2008 champion Inbee Park on the 19-11-17 mark.
Not only did she join Park as the record holder for being the youngest winner of the tournament, but Saso also became the first Filipino to win a major championship – male or female.
Changing to Japan
Ahead of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, Saso announced that she would be changing her sporting nationality to Japan. This came after she said she would keep her Japanese nationality via dual-citizenship.
Following Rory
Saso started playing golf at the age of 8. She watched video clips of Rory McIlroy, and tried to model her game and swing on his style.
Other Yuka Saso Articles
Yuka Saso secures second US Women’s Open title in historic fashion
What do you make of the career of Yuka Saso to date? Can the Japanese star go on and win more majors? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
