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Yuka Saso [3], winner of the 76th U.S. Women's Open last night in San Francisco, has solidified her place in the golf history. Upon winning, onlookers cheered while waving the Philippines Flag in the crowd as Yuka Saso — a dual citizen of the Philippines and Japan — was born in the Philippines. This win also makes Saso the first major winner of the tournament from the Philippines, doing so during her first LPGA Tour.
After overcoming a start consisting of two double bogeys on the front nine, she followed Rory McIlroy's words to "get that trophy [4]" claiming victory after an eight-footer for birdie on the third [5]. As someone who has spoken about modelling her swing after McIlroy [6], it is heartwarming to witness this exchange between two impressive players. According to the South China Morning Post [7], Saso was born on June 20, 2001 making her 19 years, 11 months, and 17 days years old [8] — the exact age of legendary golfer Inbee Park [9] when she won the U.S. Women's Open title — tying for youngest player to ever win the tournament.
As heard in the footage above, Saso's win at the 76th U.S. Women's Open Championship has solidified her place as "a new star in the women's game." Check out the video to see the exact moment of her historic win!