 |
| Filipina-Japanese golf sensation Yuka Saso on the rise after conquering the 2021 US Women's Open and becoming the first Filipino to win a major championship in golf. (Image Source: CNN) |
I woke up one morning to be overwhelmed by the exciting news that the 19-year old Filipina-Japanese golf sensation Yuka Saso made history as the first Filipino golfer to win a major championship after her stunning victory in the 2021 US Women's Open. Though I knew about her one time when she was among the five Filipino female athletes who have won gold medals in the 2018 Asian Games, becoming one of the rare youngest to win the US Women's Open is a different story as probably her biggest triumph yet.
The only thing that made me curious about her story is how she was highly regarded by local and international sports critics as the one who is "built to win". Well, the most simple and essential answer to such curiosity is her storied career. Born in San Ildefonso, Bulacan to her Japanese father Masakazu and Filipina mother Fritzie, Yuka started her career at the local and international tournaments she has competed in the early start of her career including ones hosted by her sports godfather Enrique Razon and ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services Inc.) and the World Junior Golf Championship among others. Everything she showcased and eventually earned in her career is a product of years of hardwork and perseverance, and her recent achievement is no exception considering that her training regime and her idol Rory McElroy are the biggest bullet points of her flourishing career.
In the final day of the US Women's Open, the 2020 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Athlete Of The Year bounced back with two late birdies at hole 17 and 18 and overcame two early double bogeys in a two-over 73 to put herself in a playoff against Japanese golfer Nasa Hataoka with a four-under total of 280 for 72 holes. Hataoka and Saso both parred two holes in the aggregate playoff, but the ladder eventually scored a birdie in the sudden death third-hole to clinch the win and the championship. This earned her an LPGA Tour membership and is guaranteed exemptions in ten US Women's Open tournaments, five AIG Women's British Opens, KPMG Women's PGA Championships, ANA Inspirations and Amundi Evian Championships.
Yuka is currently at the top spot of the Official Money List of the Ladies' Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and ranked number 9 in the women's world golf rankings which virtually assures her a spot in the upcoming Olympics where the top 60 male and female golfers are automatically qualified. There is a huge possibility that the newest darling of Philippine sports can achieve what no other Filipino athlete has done before, and that is to win every athlete's greatest accolade - an Olympic gold medal. That may be something Filipino sports enthusiasts should look forward to even though I'm assured that most are not familiar or knowledgeable about golf, but it all depends whether her performance can produce the biggest trubitastic impact in the local sports scene and prove to the sporting world that Yuka Saso is definitely "built to win".
