SASO TIES FOR SIXTH
Yuka Saso put up a gem of a finish, birdieing the last hole coming off a double-bogey for a 70 as she tied for sixth with three others in the LOTTE Championship won by Kiwi Lydia Ko in dominant fashion in Hawaii Saturday.
The Fil-Japanese actually appeared headed for a strong windup after going three-under in the day for joint fourth following birdies on Nos. 9 and 12. But a couple of mishits led to a double bogey on the par-4 13th, which she parred in the first three rounds.
Missed birdie chances on the last two par5s of the Kapolei Golf Club, where she gained strokes to anchor her third round 71 Friday, dropped Saso to joint ninth. But the ICTSI-backed shotmaker came through with a couple of solid shots on the 18th then drilled in a six footer for birdie and a 34-36 card.
That last-hole feat thus capped Saso’s impressive campaign as a sponsor’s invite to the $2 million event, which started off with a lot of promise following back-to-back 64s that thrust her into the spotlight halfway through Thursday.
With a 71-70 to wrap up her sixth LPGA Tour start, Saso ended up tied for sixth at 19-under 269 with Jenny Shin (63), Wei Ling Hsui (66) and Sarah Schnelzel (66).
She earned $54,848 (P2.65 million), more than half of what she pocketed ($96,800) in finishing tied for 13th in the US Women’s Open in Houston last December.
It also raised her total earnings to close to P60 million, including the more than P50 million she amassed in the lucrative Japan LPGA where she annexed two victories and posted six Top 10 finishes.
Saso finished nine strokes behind Ko, who snapped a three-year title spell in style, romping off with a seven-shot victory over Inbee Park (63), Sei Young Kim (65), Leona Maguire (67) and Nelly Korda (71) with a closing 65 for a whopping 28-under 260.
Park, Kim, Maguire and Korda shared runner-up honors at 267. Each received $127,396.
Ko, the former world No. 1 and two-time Major champion, thus hiked her LPGA trophy collection to 17, spiking her latest feat worth $300,000 with three straight bogey-free rounds, extending her flawless run to 100 holes through the last two tournaments, including a fiery 62 in the final round of the ANA Championship where she placed second.
She never dropped a shot since bogeying No. 11 in the first round, picking up 25 birdies on her way to the lopsided win.
Just a stroke ahead of Korda after 54 holes, Ko pulled away with a 34 start as Korda failed to flash the sizzling form that netted her a 63 Friday and put her with Ko, settling for pars before yielding a stroke on the eighth.