Filipino golfer Yuka Saso has made history by becoming the 76th US Women's Open champion
At 19 years old Yuka Saso has made her presence felt and has made quite an impact in the world of golf. This young talent has just won the women’s US Open, bringing home the top award for the Philippines. According to Reuters, Saso "pumped her fist and smiled after drilling a 10-foot birdie putt to seal the win before having champagne poured on her to close out a picture-perfect day at the Lake Course".
What started off as somewhat troublesome, ended with this athlete besting Japan’s Nasa Hataoka in “the third hole of a sudden death playoff”, winning herself the 76th U.S. Women’s Open golf championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. During a live Zoom press conference earlier, she told Tatler that she was nervous and afraid after her wobbly start. "I was nervous. I just wanted to stay focused and stay in the zone," she said to us. "What kept her going despite feeling anxious due, was the constant support from her fans and team. "There were so many people holding up Philippines flags," she said, "it made me really happy,” she told Reuters.
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In awe of this achievement, Saso told the New York Times, “I was just looking at all the great players in here; I can’t believe my name is going to be here”. Despite her string of successes thus far, Saso told us that she did not expect this at all. "I always get nervous at tournaments. I just stayed focused on my routine, myself, and I trusted the process. Hard work paid off, I guess," she shared with Tatler.
1. First Filipino to win the golf US Open
Yuka Saso is the first Filipino person, man or woman, to ever win this major tournament, bringing great pride to her main sponsor (ICTSI), family, country, inspiring a generation of hopeful young talents.
"We are so very proud of Yuka's fantastic win. We have recognised her talent since she was 12 years old. Deep down, we always knew she would be a champion. It is just the tonic the country needs in this crisis," said Enrique K Razon Jr, Chairman, President and Executive Director of ICTSI.
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