Erika Hara

Erika Hara (原 英莉花) is a Japanese professional golfer born on 15 February 1999 in Yokohama. She competes on the LPGA Tour, making her debut on that circuit in 2026 after earning her card by finishing fifth in the 2025 Epson Tour rankings. She turned professional in 2018 following a standout junior career in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Hara built her reputation on the LPGA of Japan Tour, where she accumulated five victories. Her breakthrough came at the 2019 Resort Trust Ladies, which she won in a playoff. In 2020 she had an exceptional season, winning both the Japan Women's Open Golf Championship and the Japan LPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup, leading wire-to-wire in the latter to become the youngest champion in that event's history. After undergoing back surgery in May 2023, she returned to form just five months later to claim her second Japan Women's Open Golf Championship title. On the Epson Tour in 2025 she added a further win at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, capping the season that secured her LPGA Tour card.

Hara trained under the guidance of veteran Japanese professional Masashi Ozaki, a relationship that shaped her game from her high school years. Her ability to return to winning form after significant back surgery speaks to both her physical resilience and the technical grounding that Ozaki instilled. At 27 and newly established on the LPGA Tour, she enters 2026 as one of the more experienced rookies on circuit, with eight professional wins behind her across Japan and the United States developmental tour.

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