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Golf sensation Yuka Saso on life since US Open win, shadowing LPGA star Inbee Park and ‘remembering to have fun’
- The 20-year-old praises ‘great golf talent’ in birthplace of the Philippines and other Asian nations
- ‘If you really want to achieve something, you can make it happen, regardless of who you are or where you came from,’ Saso says
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Filipino-Japanese star Yuka Saso wants to replicate the success of future LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park as she carves out her own legacy for Asian women’s golf.
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The 20-year-old Saso – who won her first major at the US Women’s Open in June – and South Korean veteran Park share the record for youngest-ever golfers to win the event at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days.
Four-time world No 1-ranked Park did so in 2008, before going on to win seven majors, an Olympic gold medal, and becoming the second player to win the Women’s PGA Championship three times in a row after Annika Sorenstam.
“There is a lot of great golf talent in the Philippines and in so many other parts of Asia,” Philippines-born Saso, who last week became the first Asian sports champion to be named an AXA Asia and Africa ambassador, said.
“Inbee Park is the golfer I admire the most. Her game is so consistent, and she has been a dominant force on the LPGA for over a decade,” said Saso. “She was named player of the decade for a reason and I hope to model my career after hers.”
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