| Birth date | 1 July 1998 (age 28)[1] |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan |
| Height | 1.59 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Yearpro | 2017 |
| Tour | LPGA of Japan Tour LPGA Tour |
| Prowins | 8 |
| Jlpgawins | 8 |
| Nabisco | T9: 2024 |
| Lpga | T36: 2025 |
| Wusopen | T22: 2019 |
| Wbritopen | T2: 2025 |
| Evian | 53rd: 2023 |
Minami Katsu (Japanese: 勝みなみ, born 1 July 1998) is a Japanese professional golfer. She is the youngest winner in the history of the LPGA of Japan Tour when she won the KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open as an amateur on 20 April 2014 at age 15.[2]
Early life
Katsu was born in Kagoshima City in 1998. She began to play golf at the age of six under her grandfather's influence. She graduated from Kagoshima Municipal Nagata Junior High School in 2014[1] and from Kagoshima High School in 2017.
Amateur wins
- 2014 New Zealand Women's Stroke Play Championship,[1] Japan Junior Golf Championship (girl's aged 15–17 division)[3]
- 2015 Japan Women's Amateur
Professional career
Katsu has eight wins on the LPGA of Japan Tour, including one as an amateur.
Katsu earned her LPGA Tour card for the 2023 season via Q-School.[4]
In 2025, Katsu had an unofficial shared LPGA Tour win with Sarah Schmelzel at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship when the tournament was shortened to only 18 holes due to heavy rainfall causing the course to be unplayable. Katsu and Schmelzel shot 8-under 63 during the tournament's only round.[5]
Professional wins (8)
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 Apr 2014 | KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open | 66-71-68=205 | −11 | 1 stroke | Lee Bo-mee |
| 2 | 18 Nov 2018 | Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open | 71-68-64-65=268 | −20 | 4 strokes | Erika Kikuchi |
| 3 | 5 May 2019 | Panasonic Open Ladies Golf Tournament | 69-68-67=204 | −12 | Playoff | Jeon Mi-jeong |
| 4 | 26 May 2019 | Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open | 68-62-72=202 | −14 | 2 strokes | Yui Kawamoto |
| 5 | 30 May 2021 | Resort Trust Ladies | 69-70-69-71=279 | −9 | 3 strokes | Mamiko Higa Momoko Osato Momo Yoshikawa |
| 6 | 3 Oct 2021 | Japan Women's Open Golf Championship | 68-67-69-66=270 | −14 | 6 strokes | Mao Saigo Momoko Ueda |
| 7 | 31 Jul 2022 | Rakuten Super Ladies | 65-66-64-71=266 | −22 | 5 strokes | Mone Inami |
| 8 | 2 Oct 2022 | Japan Women's Open Golf Championship | 72-75-70-68=285 | −3 | 1 stroke | Jiyai Shin |
Katsu won the 2014 KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open as an amateur.
Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in LPGA of Japan Tour.
Playoff record
LPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | Buick LPGA Shanghai | Atthaya Thitikul | Lost to birdie on fifth extra hole |
Results in LPGA majors
Results not in chronological order.
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | CUT | T9 | T62 | T12 | ||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T22 | CUT | CUT | T71 | CUT | |||
| Women's PGA Championship | 53 | T41 | T36 | |||||
| The Evian Championship | NT | T63 | T68 | |||||
| Women's British Open | T35 | CUT | CUT | T21 | CUT | T2 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
T = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Women's PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 13 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (2023 U.S. Women's Open – 2024 Evian)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)
Team appearances
Amateur
- Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Japan): 2014
References
- ^ "Profile: Minami Katsu" (in Japanese). Japan Golf Association.
- ^ "Minami Katsu wins at age 15". ESPN. Associated Press. 20 April 2014.
- ^ "2014 Japan Junior Golf Championship (girl's aged 15–17 division)". Japan Golf Association.
- ^ "2023 LPGA Tour Rookies". LPGA. 12 December 2022.
- ^ "2025 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G Shortened to 18 Holes". LPGA. September 21, 2025.