Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States: Yuka Saso has etched her name into US Women’s Open folklore by becoming the youngest player to win the Major title on two occasions.

A four-time Queen Sirikit Cup participant and joint runner-up in the inaugural Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in 2018, Saso produced an inspired back nine at Lancaster Country Club on Sunday to emerge triumphant.

Her closing two-under-par 68 gave her a 72-hole total of four-under 276. The only other player to finish in red figures was fellow-Japanese Hinako Shibuno on 279.

In 2021, Saso matched Park In-bee as the youngest champion in US Women’s Open history at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days.

Now at 22 years, 11 months and 13 days, Saso is the tournament’s youngest two-time champion – some 18 months younger than Hall of Famers Hollis Stacy (24/4/7) and Mickey Wright (24/4/13), who claimed three and four championships, respectively.

She’s also one of the richest after collecting the first prize of US$2.4 million from the US$12 million purse, the largest in women’s golf.

Furthermore, Saso whose mother is from the Philippines and whose father in Japanese, is just the third player to have won Major championships for each of their first two LPGA Tour wins, joining Koreans Pak Se-ri and Chun In-gee.

In what proved to be a memorable week for players from the Asia-Pacific region, the top-25 finishers in the 79th edition of the US Women's Open presented by Ally included no fewer than seven Japanese (Saso, Shibuno, Ayaka Furue, Rio Takeda, Sakura Koiwai, Miyu Yamashita and Chisato Iwai) and six Koreans (Kim Hyo-joo, Im Jin-hee, Kim A-lim, Lee Mi-hyang, Jenny Shin and Jeon Ji-won).

Also among the leaders were three Thais (Arpichaya Yubol, Atthaya Thitikul and Wichanee Meechai), two each from Australia (Minjee Lee and Hannah Green) and China (Yin Ruoning and Liu Yan) and Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Wei-ling.

Many of those players first made their names as amateurs in Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) events, most notably the WAAP and Queen Sirikit Cup.

Leading the way was Saso, who was also a member of a power-packed APGC team that thrashed the European Golf Association in the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy in 2018.

During her amateur days and when she won her first US Women’s Open in 2021, Saso represented the Philippines. Since then she’s opted to play under the Japan banner.

Saso said: “Winning in 2021 I represented the Philippines. I feel like I was able to give back to my mom. This year I was able to represent Japan, and I think I was able to give back to my dad. I’m very happy that I was able to do it.

“It’s just a wonderful feeling that I was able to give back to my parents in the same way.”

Saso admitted that not having won since her stunning breakthrough at the Olympic Club three years ago had weighed heavily on her mind.

Referencing her barren spell that followed her maiden US Women’s Open success, Saso said: “I wanted to prove something to myself. I haven’t won in 2½ or three years. I definitely had a little doubt if I can win again … or if I won’t win again.

“It makes this (win) special because after a long wait, I wasn’t expecting to win the US Women’s Open again. The last time, too, I wasn’t expecting it. I think that’s why it made me a bit emotional.

“Winning makes you look back in all the things that your family and your team and my sponsors, they supported me throughout good or bad, especially ICTSI, KPMG and Callaway.”

Taimur Hassan Amin, the APGC Chairman, said: “Congratulations to Yuka on winning the US Women’s Open for a second time. It’s a truly remarkable achievement.

“All of us at the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation are proud to see so many players who have competed in our events during their amateur days making their mark on some of the biggest stages in golf. They’re an inspiration to the current generation.”

This year’s US Women’s Open field included 22 amateurs, four who made the cut, and three Americans who tied for low amateur honours on 292 – Catherine Park, Megan Schofill and Asterisk Talley.

Among those who did not survive the 36-hole cut-off were Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Huai-chien (74-76) and Thailand’s Pimpisa Sisutham (77-79).