By: Max Bechtoldt
Japan had maybe the most interesting road to the Olympics in all of women’s golf. For much of the last couple of years, Ayaka Furue and Nasa Hataoka were in position to be the representatives. Over the last couple of months though, the race tightened up heavily, especially after Yuka Saso’s win at the U.S. Women’s Open vaulted her up the rankings. In the final week, Hataoka fell out of the Olympic standings. So, let’s take some time to meet the team Japan will be sending to the Olympic games in Paris:
YUKA SASO
At only 23-years-old Yuka Saso is already a two-time U.S. Women’s Open Champion, including just a month ago at Lancaster Country Club. While Saso isn’t the most consistent player on tour, when her game is clicking, she might be among the most well-rounded in the world. She showed that in 2023, when she had two top-three finishes in major championships. Saso hits the ball long and has great touch around the greens, as shown during her win at Lancaster. Saso previously played under the Philippines flag, for whom she claimed a top-10 finish for in Tokyo. Many doubted her chances at making the much more competitive Japanese team, but her win mixed in with four top-20 finishes got her in the field.
MIYU YAMASHITA
The highest ranked women’s golfer in the world, No. 17, who doesn’t play full time on the LPGA Tour. Yamashita is absolutely dominant on the second most competitive tour in the world, the JLPGA. Yamashita has played in 16 worldwide events in 2024, she has finished in the top 20 in ever single one. Though she doesn’t yet have a win, she has remarkably finished in the top five nine times. This hasn’t just been in Japan, she has also played in each of the three LPGA majors this year. Her second place finish in the KPMG Women’s PGA got her to Paris, but she finished 12 and 17 in the other two.
