Hisako "Chako" Higuchi ( ja, 樋口久子, born 13 October 1945 in

Kawagoe, Saitama is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 353,214 in 162,210 households and a population density of 3200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is known locally as after the old name f ...

) is a Japanese professional golfer. Higuchi won the

LPGA Championship The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...

on 12 June 1977, 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 Yang Yong-eun ( ko, 양용은; born 15 January 1972), also called Y. E. Yang, is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He was previously a member of the PGA Tour, where he won twice, including most not ...

won the

2009 PGA Championship The 2009 PGA Championship was the 91st PGA Championship, held August 13–16 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, a suburb southwest of Minneapolis. Yang Yong-eun, more commonly referred to as "Y.E. Yang" in the U.S., won his ...

.) Alongside

Ayako Okamoto is a Japanese professional golfer. She won 62 tournaments internationally, including 17 on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Early career Okamoto was born in Akitsu, Hiroshima, now part of Higashihiroshi ...

, she dominated the 1970s and 1980s in Japanese women's golf. Higuchi studied golf from

Torakichi Nakamura was a Japanese golfer whose victory, with partner Koichi Ono, at the 1957 Canada Cup outside Tokyo helped to spur a boom in golf in Japan. Nakamura, also known as "Pete", "Tora-san," and "the Putting God", was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa P ...

, a member of Japan's winning team at the 1957

World Cup of Golf The World Cup of Golf is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the fir ...

. She turned pro in 1967 and went on to win 69 titles on the

LPGA of Japan Tour The LPGA of Japan Tour is a professional golf tour for women organised by the Japan Ladies Professional Golfers' Association. It is the second richest women's golf tour in the world. The U.S.-based LPGA Tour is the most important women's tour, but ...

. She was 31 when she won her

. Higuchi became President of the

in 1996. In 2003, she became the first Japanese golfer to be inducted into the

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 g ...

.4 Japanese in the World Golf Hall of Fame / Golf Global
/ref>Who's who: Chako Higuchi
/ref>

Professional wins

LPGA of Japan Tour (69)

*1968 (2)

Japan Women's Open The Japan Women's Open Tennis is a professional women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. The event is affiliated with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and is an International-level tournament on the WTA Tour. As successor to ...

Japan LPGA Championship , is the one of the longest running tournament in the history of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association, surpassed only by Japan Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA of Japan Tour. Winners See also * Japan Golf Associa ...

*1969 (2)

*1970 (3)

, JGP Ladies Open *1971 (4)

, JGP Ladies Open, Tokai Classic *1972 (5)

, JPGA Asahi Kokusai Tournament, JGP Ladies Open, Tokai Classic, Mizuno Golf *1973 (7)

, World Ladies, JGP Ladies Open, La Coste Cup Japan vs. U.S., Matsushima Ladies Open, Tokai Classic, Mizuno Golf *1974 (8)

, World Ladies,

LPGA Japan Classic The Toto Japan Classic is an annual women's professional golf tournament in Japan, jointly sanctioned by the two richest women's professional tours: the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. It was an unofficial money event on the LPG ...

, Chikuma Kogen Ladies Open, Tokyo Charity Classic, Sunster Ladies Match, Mizuno Golf *1975 (1) Tokai Classic *1976 (5)

, Sanpo Champions, Miyagi TV Cup Ladies Open Golf Tournament, Tokai Classic *1977 (3)

, 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)

, 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 Chuou Ladies Cup Golf Tournament *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 Chuou Ladies Cup Golf Tournament, 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)

LPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

ALPG Tour (1)

*1974 Wills Australian Ladies Open

Other (1)

*1983 Sports Nippon Team Match

Major championships

Wins (1)

References

External links

* *
Chako Higuchi bio at golfcompendium.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higuchi, Hisako Japanese female golfers LPGA of Japan Tour golfers LPGA Tour golfers Winners of LPGA major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees People from Kawagoe, Saitama Sportspeople from Saitama Prefecture 1945 births Living people 20th-century Japanese women