Mao Saigo
Japanese professional golfer
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Mao Saigo (西郷 真央, Saigo Mao) (born 8 October 2001) is a Japanese professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour where she won three of the first five tournaments of the 2022 season,[2] and the LPGA Tour.
| Mao Saigo 西郷 真央 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 8 October 2001 | ||
| Height | 159 cm (5 ft 3 in) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  Japan | ||
| Career | |||
| College | Nihon Wellness Sports University[1] | ||
| Turned professional | 2019 | ||
| Current tours | LPGA of Japan Tour (joined 2020) LPGA Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 7 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| LPGA Tour | 1 | ||
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 6 | ||
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 1) | |||
| Chevron Championship | Won: 2025 | ||
| Women's PGA C'ship | T7: 2024 | ||
| U.S. Women's Open | T4: 2025 | ||
| Women's British Open | T7: 2024 | ||
| Evian Championship | T3: 2022 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Career
Saigo was born in Funabashi in Greater Tokyo and won the Japan Women's Amateur Championship in 2019.[3][4]
She turned professional and joined the LPGA of Japan Tour in 2020. In 2021, she was runner-up seven times to finish 4th on the 2020–21 money list.[2]
In the 2022 season, she recorded three wins and two second place finishes in the first six tournaments, after which she rose to 18th in the Women's World Golf Rankings.[5]
Saigo finished second at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in 2023 to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2024.[6] In 2024, she had seven top-10 finishes including runner-up finishes at the CPKC Women's Open and Buick LPGA Shanghai. She earned LPGA Rookie of the Year honors.[6] In 2025, she won the Chevron Championship for her first LPGA Tour win and first major championship win.[7]
Amateur wins
- 2019 Japan Women's Amateur Championship
Professional wins (7)
LPGA Tour wins (1)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Other LPGA Tour (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Apr 2025 | Chevron Championship | 70-68-69-74=281 | −7 | Playoff |  Lindy Duncan Ariya Jutanugarn Kim Hyo-joo Yin Ruoning |
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | Chevron Championship | Lindy Duncan Ariya Jutanugarn Kim Hyo-joo Yin Ruoning |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (6)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Mar 2022 | Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament | 69-73-69-67=278 | −10 | 1 stroke | Hwang Ah-reum |
| 2 | 27 Mar 2022 | AXA Ladies Golf Tournament in Miyazaki | 67-68=135^ | −9 | 1 stroke | Miyū Yamashita |
| 3 | 3 Apr 2022 | Yamaha Ladies Open Katsuragi | 67-69-68-76=280 | −8 | 1 stroke | Kotone Hori |
| 4 | 1 May 2022 | Panasonic Open Ladies Golf Tournament | 70-68-68=208 | −10 | 2 stroke |  Teresa Lu |
| 5 | 22 May 2022 | Bridgestone Ladies Open | 67-70-69-69=275 | −13 | 2 stroke | Mone Inami |
| 6 | 12 Nov 2023 | Ito En Ladies Golf Tournament | 69-63-68=200 | −16 | 3 stroke | Ayako Kimura |
^Tournament shortened due to adverse conditions.
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Chevron Championship | Co-leader | −7 (70-68-69-74=281) | Playoff1 | Lindy Duncan, Kim Hyo-joo, Ruoning Yin, Ariya Jutanugarn |
1 Defeated Duncan, Kim, Yin and Jutanugarn with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order.
| Tournament | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | 65 | CUT | 1 | T59 | |
| U.S. Women's Open | T44 | T33 | CUT | T4 | |
| Women's PGA Championship | T30 | CUT | T7 | CUT | |
| The Evian Championship | T3 | CUT | T35 | T38 | |
| Women's British Open | CUT | T36 | T7 | T11 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
T = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Women's PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 14 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (2024 Women's PGA – 2025 U.S. Women's Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (2024 Women's British – 2025 U.S. Women's Open)
Team appearances
Professional
- International Crown (representing Japan): 2025