Efren “Bata” Reyes put the Philippines in the annals of billiards’ lore. Paeng Nepomuceno became a legendary Hall of Famer in bowling. Manny Pacquiao did it in boxing.
The list of Filipino sporting greats known the world over is long and impressive—from Bata, Paeng and Manny all the way to Felicisimo Ampon in tennis, Caloy Loyzaga in basketball and Lydia de Vega in athletics.
But none of them was able to clinch the ultimate prize—an Olympic gold medal.
This year, the Philippines’ newest sports darling in Yuka Saso will try to achieve no other Filipino has ever done before—win sports’ greatest accolade.
Some may say it’s unfair to put such pressure on the shoulders of a 19-year-old teenager.
But after the Filipino-Japanese sensation became the first and only athlete from the Philippines to win a golf major following her stunning victory in the Women’s US Open last week, Yuka may have casually added her name to the list of favorites to win the country’s first Olympic gold. Although she has yet to formally nail a berth to the quadrennial games, her being in the Top 10 of the Olympic rankings, where the best 60 will qualify, has virtually assured her of a slot.
The signs are definitely there.
Victory at every stage—Yuka has won on almost all levels of her career, from local tournaments hosted by her sports godfather Enrique K. Razon and the International Container Terminals Services, Inc., to the World Junior Golf, the Asian Games, the LPGA Japan Tour and the LPGA.
Familiarity of the battlefield is half the battle won—The Fil-Japanese has made a killing at the Japanese Tour, where she is currently fourth on the money list with earnings of ¥97,721,942 (P42 million) even though she has left the tour for the more lucrative LPGA. And it helps that the Olympics will be held in Japan, Yuka’s other “home.” It’s like playing before your home crowd at a venue you know like the palm of your hand.
“I actually already played there, the golf course was really good. They changed everything, and it’s all in good condition,” said Yuka, referring to the Olympic golf venue the Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Feeling superstitious—This is kind of a reach, but hear me out. The venue of the Women’s US Open, where Yuka achieved the biggest win of her career so far, is called—the ‘Olympic’ Club. Sign from above? Probably.
Biggest win
Yuka has been flying under the radar in the international scene the past several months, but it was only at the Women’s US Open that she went full jetfighter mode.
The reigning Philippine Sportswriters Association Athlete of the Year shook off two early double bogeys and bounced back with late birdies at 16 and 17 in a two-over 73 to put herself into a playoff battle against Japanese Nasa Hataoka with a four-under total of 280 for 72 holes.
Hataoka fired a final-round 68, but after both she and Saso parred both holes of the two-hole aggregate playoff, it was the latter who came up with a birdie at the sudden-death third hole to clinch the win.
Yuka matched South Korean Park In-bee as the youngest winners in the championship’s history at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days, and earned her LPGA tour membership.
“I don’t know what’s happening in the Philippines right now, but I’m just thankful that there’s so many people in the Philippines cheering for me,” said Yuka, whose professional resume included two Japan LPGA victories but no wins on the US LPGA tour. “I don’t know how to thank them. They gave me so much energy. I want to say thank you to everyone.”
Yuka was the pace-setter in the first two days and trailed new leader Lexi Thompson entering the final round. It appeared that her bid was falling apart with double bogeys at the second and third, but she nicely recovered with a two-under the rest of the way to force the playoff. Talk about nerves of steel.
“I was actually upset,” she said. “My caddie talked to me, said there’s still many holes to go—just keep doing what I was doing the last few days and trust the process.”
Athlete of the Year
Yuka’s biggest triumph was four months removed from her being named the 2020 Philippine Sportswriters Association’s Athlete of the Year. The award was considered special as it was achieved during a pandemic year.
It was Yuka’s second Athlete of the Year honor in the last three years, but the first time as an individual awardee as she previously shared the accolade with fellow golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go, along with weightlifer Hidilyn Diaz during the 2018 edition of the annual event following their gold-medal romp in the Jakarta Asian Games.
After turning pro in 2020 following a brilliant amateur career, Yuka was winning again, this time in the rich Japan LPGA, where she racked up back-to-back wins in the NEC Karuizawa Championship and the Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament.
Before the year ended, Yuka showed she belongs with the world’s best following a strong 13th-place finish right on her rookie year in the Women’s US Open won by South Korea’s Kim A-Lim.
Entering 2021, Yuka ranked 45th in the world. After only five months, she is now in the Top 10.
Money List, Olympic Rankings
Yuka is now no. 1 on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Official Money List following her Women’s US Open triumph that netted her the whopping $1 million top prize.
She jumped 31 places from no. 40 into the Top 10 at no. 9 in the women’s world golf rankings.
Yuka is also guaranteed exemptions in the next 10 US Women’s Open tournaments, five AIG Women’s British Opens, KPMG Women’s PGA Championships, ANA Inspirations, and Amundi Evian Championships.
Beginnings, training
All of Yuka’s victories and accolades are a product of years of hard work.
Born in San Ildefonso, Bulacan to a Filipino mother Fritzie and Japanese father Masakazu, Yuka acquired her love for golf from her dad.
The family left the Philippines when she was four, but after living in Japan for four years, Yuka, who also likes BlackPink and Daniel Padilla, pleaded her parents to allow her to play golf.
From the moment she held a golf club when she was eight years old, it was love at first swing.
Thinking that she can excel better in the Philippines, her parents came back to the country, where she was homeschooled until she graduated from high school.
Because she was winning against older jungolfers in the Philippines, Yuka tried to level-up and competed in the 2011 US Kids golf tournament. After competing in the world junior for years, something triggered the young Yuka when she noticed how 17-year-olds would outdrive her by some 50 yards. Feeling the need to ramp up her preparation to become a world-class golfer, she pleaded her father to give her an arduous training procedure that could whip her into her best fighting form. In turn, her father made Yuka sign a pledge not to hold a grudge against him for all the hardships that may come in training.
Japanese media outlet Kyodo News revealed in detail Yuka’s rigorous regimen.
The training? Daily runs at 5:30 a.m.; 10 sets of 50-meter and 100-meter sprints while carrying two-kilogram weights; side steps that would go on forever; endless golf swings interlaced with baseball cross-training and bat-swinging; squats with a 30-kilogram barbell and shadow boxing. These days, Yuka also tries to imitate the golf swing of her golf idol, Rory McIlroy.
It helps that Yuka has a benefactor in ICTSI that constantly supports her every step of the way. Golf, after all, is an expensive sport to play.
“The ICTSI congratulates Ms. Yuka Saso for winning and being the first Filipino to win in a major golf championship that is probably one of the hardest to win —the recently concluded 76th U.S. Women’s Open golf championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. Her ICTSI family thanks Yuka for the pride and joy she gives the country. We likewise commend her for her hard work, perseverance and dedication to training, and most especially for remaining humble despite her recent successes. She is and will continue to be a role model for the golfing community. May she also serve as an inspiration to our Filipino athletes in breaking through internationally. ICTSI will continue supporting Yuka in her golfing career, and we look forward to more victories,” the ICTSI press statement said.
The biggest stage beckons
Yuka is expected to clinch a seat in the coming Tokyo Olympics, alongside fellow Asian Games gold medalist Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan
This is because the three are currently listed inside the Top 60 of the Olympic golf rankings, managed by the International Golf Federation.
According to qualification rules, 60 players in each of the men’s and women’s events will make it to the list of Olympic qualifiers by June 21 for the men’s side and June 28 for the women’s.
Her 23-year-old friend Bianca, who was on the sidelines cheering her on as she made history in the US Open, is currently ranked no. 42.
And while pundits have installed Philippine sports’ newest queen as a favorite to win it all in Tokyo, alongside other favorites Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and Eumir Marcial of boxing, and even EJ Obiena of athletics and Diaz of weightlifting, Yuka has toned down all expectations from an adoring nation.
“Of course I want to be a world no.1, and it would be my dream, too, to win an Olympic gold medal. But this (US Open) does not mean that I can win the gold in the Olympics,” Yuka said. “I still have to work on it.”
Work means daily runs at 5:30 a.m.; 50- and 100-meter sprints while carrying two-kilogram weights; baseball-bat swings, squats with a 30-kilogram barbell, shadow boxing and swinging that TaylorMade SIM2 Max driver ala-Rory.
She will put in the work and we will watch in awe.
Yuka has been winning hearts and golf trophies ever since she burst into the scene.
Let’s hope she wins the ultimate one soon.