Yuka Saso with three of the jungolfers who joined her clinic. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/Seph Javellana.
She may have given up representing the country in future international golf tournaments but for Yuka Saso, there are some things about the Philippines that never change.
“It always feels like home,” The golf star of Filipino-Japanese heritage told reporters on Tuesday. “I was born here and grew up here.”
Saso had opted for Japanese citizenship to fit her goals as a golf professional—her Filipino passport did not allow for freer, visa-less travels—but she has always stayed true to her roots.
Saso returned to the country to sign up as brand ambassador for Federal Land, Inc., which teamed up with Nomura Real Estate Development Co. Ltd., and Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. to build the Mitsukoshi Bonifacio Global City (BGC), one of the more popular malls in Japan that is now open here.
“I’m so glad Mitsukoshi BGC is now open in the Philippines. It’s one of my favorite stores in Japan,” said Saso.
Yuka Saso is home again. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SEPH JAVELLANA .
The 21-year-old Saso was born to a Japanese father and Filipino mother in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, and moved to Japan at age 4 before flying back here at age 9 to study and pursue golf.
She got to mingle with jungolfers during the event, something that brought back a rush of memories.
“It’s awesome. It reminds me of when I started playing golf,” she said of the seven young aces who took part in s skills challenge game with her. “To see how they enjoy golf, it’s awesome. It reminds me not to forget to have fun in golf. They inspire me. Hopefully I can inspire them a little bit and I can continue doing those stuff in the future.”
In the meantime, the former US Open champion, armed with her latest sponsor, hopes to further carve her own niche in the 2023 US Ladies Professional Golfers Association season.
And, if her schedule permits, make more frequent trips to a place she always calls home.
“I hope to come back a lot more but obviously I can’t,” Saso said. “December and January are the only [months] I can come back. Hopefully, I can come back around summertime where there’s a lot of junior tournaments I can visit. Hopefully I can do that but I can’t promise.”