The Credit She Deserves

ORLANDO, FLORIDA | She hasn’t gotten her due. Yuka Saso made a terrific birdie on the third playoff hole at Olympic Club in San Francisco last May to capture the U.S. Women’s Open and tie Inbee Park as the youngest player ever to win that championship at age 19.

By all rights, she should have been the darling of women’s golf, the first player from the Philippines to win a major, and to do it in an area that has the largest concentration of Filipinos in the United States. Plus, she’s ebullient, engaging, and speaks English with just enough of an accent to make her charming. Her golf swing is a replica of Rory McIlroy’s, so much so that Golf Channel filled hours of programming with analysts breaking down side-by-side videos. Then, the USGA capitalized on the storyline by flying Saso to Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open to hang out with McIlroy and show off the Women’s Open trophy.

Yuka Saso and Lexi Thompson during the 2021 U.S. Women's Open John Mummert, USGA

But ...