Saki Baba

Baba was introduced to golf by her father at age 5. In 2021, she finished 6th in the Kanto Women's Amateur and 7th in the Kanto Junior Championship. The next year, she won both tournaments.
Not much was known about Baba, but her break happened in January 2022 when new rules allowed amateurs to receive payments for expenses and earn money for the use of their name, image, and likeness. Baba qualified for the 2022 U.S. Women's Open at the Boso Country Club in Japan on her 17th birthday, carding rounds of 69-70. Because of the new rules, Baba could take on sponsors that helped fund her trip to Pine Needles for the 2022 U.S. Women's Open. If not for the new rules and the companies investing in Baba, her father said he would have had to borrow money to make the trips happen. Before the Women's Open, Baba was T-58th in the Yamaha Ladies Open in her debut appearance on the Japan LPGA. In the Women's Open was T-49th and was the youngest player to make the cut. Two weeks later, she was T-9th in the Japan Women's Amateur, 11 shots back of winner Sayaka Teraoka. Two weeks after that, she returned to the United States and played in the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur in Kentucky, and Baba was co-medalist. Won in the Round of 64, beating Brynn Kort 6 & 4. But in the round of 32, despite leading 3 up after 13 against Kiara Romero, Baba lost four of the final five holes to lose 1 down. She returned to Japan to win the Kanto Junior Championship and then returned to the United States for the U.S. Womens Amateur, held at Chambers Bay. In the stroke play Baba finished T-34th with rounds of 73-74 to make it into match play. She had a tough round of 64 match with Jennifer Cleary, beating her 1 up. After that, Baba hit her stride, winning her round of 32 match 3 & 1 to Alice Ziyi Zhao. She beat Aneka Seumanutfa 3 & 1 in the round of 16, then in the quarterfinals beat Lauren Lehigh 4 & 3. In the semifinals, she beat Bailey Shoemaker 7 & 6 and took apart Monet Chun in the finals 11 & 9. Baba became the second player from Japan to win a USGA championship after Michiko Hattori won this title in 1985. It was the largest margin of victory in a U.S. Women's Amateur final since Anne Sander in 1961. It is the largest margin of victory for a player from outside the United States. From the 6th hole in her quarterfinal match, Baba won 28 of the last 49 holes she played, losing only four in that span. Baba played 106 match-play holes during the championship, tied for the second-fewest by a champion since 1973, matching Morgan Pressel (2005) and behind only Carolyn Hill (103) in 1979.
Baba represented Japan at the 2022 Espirito Santo Trophy in France alongside Mizuki Hashimoto and Miku Ueta. They shared third place with Germany, one shot behind Sweden and the United States. Individually, Baba finished T-4th just a shot back of the leaders. She made six cuts in eight starts on the Japan LPGA in 2022, including a T-11th at the Japan Women's Open. She finished T-6th at the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship.
2023 Notes: Baba was T-2nd in the Australian Women's Amateur, a shot back of winner Mizuki Hashimoto. Her first LPGA Tour event was T-34th at the Honda LPGA Thailand. On the JLPGA, was T-16th at the T-Point Eneos Golf Tournament. She was T-5th at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, shooting 70 in the final round and finishing seven shots back of winner Rose Zhang. She missed the cut at the Chevron Championship and then was 6th at the Japan Women's Amateur, 3 shots back of winner Saori Iijima. Baba was 5th in the Toyota Junior World Cup, three shots back of the winner, Yuna Araki. Baba missed the cut at the U.S. Women's Open and the Evian Championship.
2024 Notes: She turned pro at the end of 2023 and earned a spot on the 2024 Epson Tour via Q School. She played in 18 Epson Tour events, making 16 cuts with five runner-up finishes. She finished 18th in the Race for the Card. At the end of the year, at the LPGA Q Series finals, she finished T-24th to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2025.
2025 Notes: Shot 67-66 on the weekend to finish T-6th at the Ford Championship. Was T-6th at the Dow Championship with partner Yuri Yoshida.