Hisako Higuchi
Hisako Higuchi 樋口久子 | |||||
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Personal information | |||||
Full name | Hisako Higuchi | ||||
Nickname | Chako | ||||
Born | (1945-10-13) 13 October 1945 (age 78) Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan | ||||
Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||
Sporting nationality | ![]() | ||||
Career | |||||
Turned professional | 1967 | ||||
Former tour(s) | LPGA of Japan Tour LPGA Tour | ||||
Professional wins | 73 | ||||
Number of wins by tour | |||||
LPGA Tour | 2 | ||||
LPGA of Japan Tour | 69 | ||||
ALPG Tour | 1 | ||||
Other | 1 | ||||
Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 1) | |||||
Western Open | DNP | ||||
Titleholders C'ship | DNP | ||||
Chevron Championship | DNP | ||||
Women's PGA C'ship | Won: 1977 | ||||
U.S. Women's Open | T13: 1976 | ||||
du Maurier Classic | DNP | ||||
Achievements and awards | |||||
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Hisako "Chako" Higuchi (Japanese: 樋口久子, born 13 October 1945 in Kawagoe, Saitama) is a Japanese professional golfer.
Higuchi won the LPGA Championship on 12 June 1977,[1] making her the first Asian-born player to win a major championship for either men or women. (No Asian-born player would win a men's major until Yang Yong-eun won the 2009 PGA Championship.) Alongside Ayako Okamoto, she dominated the 1970s and 1980s in Japanese women's golf.
Higuchi studied golf from Torakichi Nakamura, a member of Japan's winning team at the 1957 World Cup of Golf. She turned pro in 1967 and went on to win 69 titles on the LPGA of Japan Tour. She was 31 when she won her LPGA Championship.
Higuchi became President of the LPGA of Japan Tour in 1996. In 2003, she became the first Japanese golfer to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.[2][3]
Professional wins
LPGA of Japan Tour (69)
- 1968 (2) Japan Women's Open, Japan LPGA Championship
- 1969 (2) Japan Women's Open, Japan LPGA Championship
- 1970 (3) Japan Women's Open, Japan LPGA Championship, JGP Ladies Open
- 1971 (4) Japan Women's Open, Japan LPGA Championship, JGP Ladies Open, Tokai Classic
- 1972 (5) Japan LPGA Championship, JPGA Asahi Kokusai Tournament, JGP Ladies Open, Tokai Classic, Mizuno Golf
- 1973 (7) Japan LPGA Championship, World Ladies, JGP Ladies Open, La Coste Cup Japan vs. U.S., Matsushima Ladies Open, Tokai Classic, Mizuno Golf
- 1974 (8) Japan Women's Open, Japan LPGA Championship, World Ladies, LPGA Japan Classic, Chikuma Kogen Ladies Open, Tokyo Charity Classic, Sunster Ladies Match, Mizuno Golf
- 1975 (1) Tokai Classic
- 1976 (5) Japan Women's Open, Japan LPGA Championship, Sanpo Champions, Miyagi TV Cup Ladies Open Golf Tournament, Tokai Classic
- 1977 (3) Japan Women's Open, Japan LPGA Championship, Tokai Classic
- 1978 (3) Junon Ladies Open, Shinkoh Classic LPGA Tournament, Japan LPGA East vs. West
- 1979 (5) Fuji Heigen Ladies Open, Shinkoh Classic LPGA Tournament, Japan LPGA East vs. West, Hokuriku Queens Golf Cup, Toyotomi Ladies
- 1980 (3) Japan Women's Open, KBS Kyoto Ladies Golf Tournament, Tokai Classic
- 1981 (3) Okinawa Makiminato Auto Ladies Tournament, Tokushima Tsukinomiya Ladies Open Golf Tournament, Pioneer Cup
- 1982 (2) Hokuriku Queens Golf Cup, Kumamoto Cyuoh Ladies
- 1983 (5) Kibun Ladies Classic, Paris Ladies Classic, Japan LPGA East vs. West, LPGA Japan vs. U.S., Daioh Seishi Elleair Ladies Open Golf Tournament
- 1984 (2) Kumamoto Cyuoh Ladies, Kibun Ladies Classic
- 1985 (1) Chukyo TV-Bridgestone Ladies Open
- 1986 (2) Fujitsu Ladies, Tsumura-Itsuki Classic
- 1987 (1) Yamaha Cup Ladies Open
- 1990 (2) an Queens, Kohsaido Asahi Golf Cup
LPGA Tour (2)
Legend |
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LPGA Tour major championships (1) |
Other LPGA Tour (1) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 Aug 1976 | Colgate European Open | −12 (68-74-68-74=284) | 6 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
2 | 12 Jun 1977 | LPGA Championship | −9 (71-67-72-69=279) | 3 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
LPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1979 | Women's Kemper Open | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Carner won with par on second extra hole Caponi, Lopez, and Stephenson eliminated by par on first hole |
ALPG Tour (1)
Other (1)
- 1983 Sports Nippon Team Match
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | LPGA Championship | −9 (71-67-72-69=279) | 3 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
References
External links
- Hisako Higuchi at the LPGA of Japan Tour official site
- Hisako “Chako” Higuchi at the World Golf Hall of Fame
- Chako Higuchi bio at golfcompendium.com
- v
- t
- e
- 1955 Beverly Hanson‡
- 1956 Marlene Hagge†
- 1957 Louise Suggs
- 1958 Mickey Wright‡
- 1959 Betsy Rawls
- 1960 Mickey Wright
- 1961 Mickey Wright‡
- 1962 Judy Kimball‡
- 1963 Mickey Wright
- 1964 Mary Mills
- 1965 Sandra Haynie
- 1966 Gloria Ehret
- 1967‡ Kathy Whitworth‡
- 1968 Sandra Post†‡
- 1969 Betsy Rawls
- 1970 Shirley Englehorn†
- 1971 Kathy Whitworth
- 1972 Kathy Ahern
- 1973 Mary Mills
- 1974 Sandra Haynie
- 1975 Kathy Whitworth
- 1976 Betty Burfeindt
- 1977 Hisako Higuchi
- 1978 Nancy Lopez
- 1979 Donna Caponi
- 1980 Sally Little
- 1981 Donna Caponi
- 1982 Jan Stephenson‡
- 1983 Patty Sheehan
- 1984 Patty Sheehan
- 1985 Nancy Lopez‡
- 1986 Pat Bradley
- 1987 Jane Geddes
- 1988 Sherri Turner
- 1989 Nancy Lopez
- 1990 Beth Daniel
- 1991 Meg Mallon
- 1992 Betsy King‡
- 1993 Patty Sheehan
- 1994 Laura Davies
- 1995 Kelly Robbins
- 1996 Laura Davies
- 1997 Christa Johnson†
- 1998 Se-ri Pak‡
- 1999 Juli Inkster
- 2000 Juli Inkster†
- 2001 Karrie Webb
- 2002 Se-ri Pak
- 2003 Annika Sörenstam†
- 2004 Annika Sörenstam
- 2005 Annika Sörenstam
- 2006 Se-ri Pak†
- 2007 Suzann Pettersen
- 2008 Yani Tseng†
- 2009 Anna Nordqvist
- 2010 Cristie Kerr‡
- 2011 Yani Tseng‡
- 2012 Shanshan Feng
- 2013 Inbee Park†
- 2014 Inbee Park†
- 2015 Inbee Park
- 2016 Brooke Henderson†
- 2017 Danielle Kang
- 2018 Park Sung-hyun†
- 2019 Hannah Green‡
- 2020 Kim Sei-young
- 2021 Nelly Korda
- 2022 Chun In-gee
- 2023 Yin Ruoning
- 2024 Amy Yang