Yuka Saso played her way into the history books as the first Filipina golfer to win on the Japan LPGA Tour with an impressive victory in the NEC Karuizawa 72 Golf Championship.
The 19-year-old talent closed with a stunning bogey-free 63, carding seven birdies and an eagle to finish on 16-under-par 200 (65-72-63) at the Karuizawa 72 North Course in Kitasaku district, Nagano prefecture. Saso, who is of mixed Japanese and Filipino parentage, finished four shots ahead of Japan’s Saito Fujita and Mai Wakabayashi.
Saso pocketed a cheque for 14.4. million yen (approx. US$135,000), which took her season winnings as a rookie on the 2020 Japan LPGA Tour to more than 23 million yen from two events. She had finished T5 in her first event, the Earth Mondamine Cup in June, in a 2020 Japan LPGA Tour season that has been hugely scaled down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prior to turning professional last year. Saso enjoyed a stellar amateur career highlighted by her double gold medal winning performance in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where she claimed the women’s individual title and led the Philippines to a first-ever victory in the women’s team event.
