GOLF: TOKYO, Japan- Filipino Olympian Yuka Saso opts to become Japanese citizen
.Yuka Saso of the Philippines celebrates with the Harton S. Semple Trophy as Megha Ganne of the United States, the low amateur of the tournament, looks on following the 76th U.S. Women’s Open Championship at The Olympic Club on June 06, 2021 in San Francisco, California. Saso won following a three-hole playoff against Nasa Hataoka of Japan. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via A
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Months after winning the US Women’s Open and representing the Philippines in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, golf wunderkind Yuka Saso has decided to become a Japanese citizen.
According to multiple reports, the 20-year-old Saso, who was born to a Japanese father and a Filipino mother, made the decision in light of Japan’s Nationality Law.
The law states that a person who holds dual citizenships must choose which country to represent before turning 22.
Saso, who is set to compete in the Toto Japan Classic this month, had been representing the Philippines in several international tournaments in recent years.
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The world No.6 was a member of the Philippine contingent at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where she finished ninth in the individual women’s golf competition.
Saso also won the 2021 US Women’s Open, one of the LPGA’s five major championships, and earned two gold medals in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia while carrying the Philippine flag.
Ohmer Bautista is a sports journalist who has covered local and international sporting events in the Philippines. The views expressed are his own.
