Momoko Ueda

Momoko Ueda (上田 桃子, Ueda Momoko, born 15 June 1986) is a Japanese female professional golfer who in 2007 at the age of 21 became the youngest player in the history of the Japan LPGA Tour (JLPGA) to finish first on the money list.[1] She is currently playing on the United States-based LPGA Tour.

Momoko Ueda
上田 桃子
Ueda before 2009 Women's British Open
Personal information
Born (1986-06-15) 15 June 1986
Kumamoto, Japan
Height5 ft 3.5 in (1.61 m)
Nationality Japan
ResidenceKumamoto Prefecture, Japan
Career
Collegenone
Turned professional2005
Current tour(s)LPGA of Japan Tour (joined 2005)
Former tour(s)LPGA Tour (2008–13)
Professional wins15
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour2
LPGA of Japan Tour15
Best results in LPGA major championships
ANA InspirationT27: 2010
Women's PGA C'shipT25: 2008
U.S. Women's OpenT13: 2008
Women's British Open6th: 2020
Evian ChampionshipT27: 2013
Achievements and awards
LPGA of Japan Tour
Player of the Year		2007
LPGA of Japan Tour
leading money winner		2007
LPGA of Japan Tour
Rookie of the Year		2007

Amateur career

Ueda was born in Kumamoto, Japan. She started playing golf at the age of nine, and entered the prestigious Sakata School at ten. In twenty three amateur events, she placed in the top 10 fifteen times, including three wins, and five second-place finishes.[2]

Professional career

Ueda turned pro in August 2005 and won the JLPGA rookies cup that year.[3] In 2006, she placed 4th in two JLPGA events, and tied for 9th in the Mizuno Classic, a joint JLPGA and LPGA event.

2007 was her breakout year on the JLPGA, with five wins, six runners-up, a 3rd and a 5th. Internationally, she represented Japan in the World Cup, and played in the Women's British Open at St Andrews. In April she won the Life Card Ladies at her home town of Kumamoto. She went on to win the Resort Trust Ladies and the Stanley Ladies, and placed 2nd in the Fujitsu Ladies, before winning the Mizuno Classic in November.[4] A highlight of her tournament was a double-eagle during the tournament's final round. She became the tournament's first Japanese winner in nine years and only the 16th non-LPGA member in history to win an LPGA event. Two weeks later at the Elleair Ladies she won her fifth tournament and became the youngest money title winner in the history of the JLPGA tour.[1]

Her win at Mizuno qualified her to play on the LPGA tour in 2008. In her first tournament of the year, the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, she finished fifth.[5]

Ueda again won the Mizuno Classic in 2011. She birdied the 3rd hole of a sudden death playoff to defeat Shanshan Feng.[6]

Professional wins (15)

JLPGA Tour (15)

LPGA Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 4 Nov 2007 Mizuno Classic −13 (70-67-66=203) 2 strokes Maria Hjorth
Reilley Rankin
2 6 Nov 2011 Mizuno Classic −16 (67-64-69=200) Playoff Shanshan Feng

LPGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2011 Mizuno Classic Shanshan Feng Won with birdie on third extra hole

Results in LPGA majors
Tournament2008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
ANA Inspiration T47 T30 T27 T33 T66 T41
Women's PGA Championship T25 T57 CUT T30 CUT CUT
U.S. Women's Open T13 T40 CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT
Women's British Open T7 T55 T9 T22 CUT CUT CUT T51 6
The Evian Championship ^ T27 NT

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
"T" = tied

LPGA Tour career summary
YearEvents
played		Cuts
made		Wins2nds3rdsTop
10s		Best
finish		Earnings ($)RankScoring
average		Scoring
rank
2006 1 1 0 0 0 1 T9 24,442 n/a 69.67 n/a
2007 4 4 1 0 0 2 1 302,550 n/a 72.07 n/a
2008 19 16 0 0 0 3 5 413,592 45 71.74 23
2009 18 15 0 1 0 2 T2 416,333 33 71.68 28
2010 9 7 0 0 0 1 T6 114,509 45 71.81 31
2011 16 13 1 0 0 1 1 333,494 34 72.19 31
2012 19 14 0 0 0 0 T12 210,197 58 71.85 33
2013 17 12 0 0 0 0 T27 83,283 88 72.66 76
  • Official as of the 2013 season

JLPGA prize money
YearEarnings (¥)Rank
20050–
200646,751,16313
2007166,112,2321
200854,617,65117
200942,380,26021
201021,771,99939
201135,710,80022
20126,383,20080
201319,256,00048
201474,315,58510
201588,731,1187
201631,085,81535
2017101,820,9776
Total688,936,80013

Team appearances

Professional

  • World Cup (representing Japan): 2007
  • The Queens (representing Japan): 2015 (winners), 2017 (winners)

References
  1. "Ueda's fifth victory clinches money title". The Japan Times. 19 November 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  2. "Momoko Ueda" (PDF). LPGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  3. "Momoko Ueda". Egg Times. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  4. "Ueda shoots 66 for 2-stroke victory in Mizuno Classic". ESPN. Associated Press. 4 November 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  5. "Sorenstam wins 70th LPGA Tour title, ends long winless streak". CBS Sports. Associated Press. 16 February 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  6. Momoko Ueda wins Mizuno in playoff
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