Saso and Nishimura Seeking US Women’s Open Success

Houston, Texas, United States: Former Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) Championship runners-up Yuka Saso and Yuna Nishimura spearhead a strong Asia-Pacific challenge at this week’s 75th US Women’s Open.

Since sharing second place behind Thai Atthaya Thitikul at the inaugural WAAP in Singapore in 2018, Saso and Nishimura have turned professional and are currently in the top-100 in the Rolex Ranking.

Saso, who enjoyed a glittering junior and amateur career, relinquished her amateur status in November 2019 and has quickly made her mark among the pros.

This year, the 19-year-old from the Philippines has risen to 57th in the Rolex Ranking, largely on the back of two victories on the Japan LPGA Tour, at the NEC Karuizawa 72 and the Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament.

Japan’s Nishimura, aged 20, has also savoured success on the Japan LPGA Tour, at the Mitsubishi Electric/Hisako Higuchi Ladies Golf Tournament, and is currently 93rd in the Rolex Ranking.

As well as her joint second place finish at the WAAP in 2018, where Atthaya prevailed in a four-way play-off, Nishimura placed fifth in the second edition of the WAAP last year, after which she turned pro.

The strength of the WAAP fields is borne out by the fact that no fewer than nine of the top-25 from the 2018 event at Sentosa Golf Club and three of the top-10 from the 2019 championship at The Royal Golf Club are in the starting line-up at the US Women’s Open.

Like Saso and Nishimura, ex-WAAP alumni Ryu Hae-ran, Ayaka Furue and Lim Hee-jeong have also made impressive transitions from amateur to professional. All three have secured their maiden wins among the pros and are within the top-100 in the Rolex Ranking.

Among the talented amateurs taking part in the US Women’s Open are Chinese-Taipei’s An Ho-yu (seventh in the World Amateur Golf Ranking), Australian Gabriela Ruffels (10th), China’s Ye Lei (16th) and New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey (25th).

An was runner-up in last year’s Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs and has won twice this year on the LPGA Tour of Taiwan, while Ruffels triumphed in last year’s US Women’s Amateur, Stanford freshman Ye won the 2019 US Girls’ Junior and Garvey was runner-up to Emily Toy in The Women’s Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A.

Staged under the auspices of the United States Golf Association (USGA), the first two rounds of the 2020 US Women’s Open Championship are taking place at the 6,731-yard, par-71 Champions Golf Club (Cypress Creek Course) and the 6,558-yard, par-71 Champions Golf Club (Jackrabbit Course), in Houston.

From the starting line-up of 156 players, the field will be reduced to the low 60 scores and ties for the final two rounds on the Cypress Creek Course.