Saki Baba wins U.S. Women’s Amateur in dominant fashion, marking another victory for Japanese golf | Golf News and Tour Information

In 2021, Tsubasa Kajitani won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and a few days later Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters. Keita Nakajima is the No. 1 men’s amateur for 104 straight weeks. And six of the top 30 women professionals in the world are Japanese. Now, Saki Baba, the 17-year-old Tokyo-born sensation, has claimed a resounding victory in the US Amateurs by playing nearly clean all week at Chambers Bay at University Place, Washington.

The Japanese golf community will surely be smiling as they wake up to this anticipated result of the 45th amateur in the world.

With a stunning 11-9 win over 21-year-old Monet Chun of Canada in Championship play, Baba’s victory is the third-largest winning margin in Championship history. The teenager is the first Japanese player in 37 years to lift the Robert Cox Trophy since Michiko Hattori won it in 1985 at the age of 16.

Baba looked unstoppable all day at the former US Open venue. She ripped up the linky Chambers Bay set-up, wore her signature sun sleeves, and seemingly released putts from anywhere with her center-shaft putter. At seven past the 18th morning, Baba had a brief slip on the 20th and 21st holes, giving back two to Chun, who plays at the University of Michigan. But that flash didn’t last long, the setback fueling Baba to win six straight holes, only ending the match on the 27th hole of the day. The Japan Wellness High School student expertly sealed the win by sinking a middle birdie putt on the par-3 10.

“It was pretty amazing just watching,” Chun said. “She wanted every pin, made every putt, and that’s hard to top.”

Baba credits much of the confidence she had this week to her local Chambers Bay caddy Beau Brushert, who has been looping there for 13 years.

“I think it was my caddy Beau who really helped me,” Baba said through her translator. “The way we read everything was really good.”

The pair were accidentally brought together earlier in the week and devised an effective system to overcome the language barrier: Baba and Brushert used hand signals and yardage book illustrations to communicate.

“We’ve gotten good at sign language,” Brushert said. “And I’m an amazing yardage book artist with stick figures. I’m a good stick figure artist. I just tell her where to put it and yes she did the rest. She’s gorgeous.”

Baba, who plays at Forest Narusawa Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo, plays on the international team for the Japan Golf Association at home. She is 1.70 m tall and takes inspiration from her golf idol, Nelly Korda.

Prior to this summer, Baba was a stranger to American competitive golf, although one would never guess given her outstanding performance in three USGA championships. Baba qualified for the US Women’s Open on her 17th birthday and was one of four amateurs to make the cut at Pine Needles in June. Then at US Girl’s Junior, held at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Baba earned co-medalists and reached the round of 32. Ben Vigil, Baba’s referee during the round of 64 at Girl’s Junior, described Baba’s lack matchplay experience Twitter: “I officiated Saki’s round of 64 match at #USGirlsJunior, it was basically her first matchplay experience. She didn’t even know how to concede putts.”

Despite the initial unfamiliarity, Baba expressed to the media over the week how excited she has become about playing golf in the US and how at home it makes her.

“People here are so nice, so I got to meet these people and that made me really happy,” Baba said earlier in the week. “Being able to play in the States is so different than what I’ve played before, it made me happy.”

Baba’s summer in the US would not have been possible without the amateur golf rules change in January, allowing the teen to take on 12 sponsors to fund her first trip to Pine Needles. Tetsuya, Baba’s father, told Golf Digest Japan that he would have to borrow money for the trips if the companies weren’t willing to take a risk for his daughter. Smart investments, so to speak.

By reaching the finals, both Baba and Chun earned the exception of the US Women’s Open in Pebble Beach in 2023. Baba’s impressive game in her first summer on the American golf scene points to a bright future for the latest young Japanese star.