Saso rallies to win national title
Greenwich’s Dzialga 33rd
HARTFORD — It’s another big step in making a dream come true.
Yuka Saso of the Philippines bolstered the American part of her golfing resume Friday as she rallied with a final round 3underpar 67 to capture the 44th Girls Junior PGA Championship at Keney Park’s Public Course.
Saso finished at 14underpar 266 to edge Jensen Castle of West Columbia, S.C. (12 under 268) by two shots. Amari Avery of Riverside, Calif. (final round 7under 63, eagle on par4 16th, 11 under 269) was third.
Rose Zheng of Irvine, Calif, who won the 2017 Girls Jr. PGA and was runnerup in 2018, had a final round 3overpar 73 to tie for fourth with Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida (final round 66) at 9underpar 271.
Saso, Castle and Zheng played together in the final group.
“I was sixth at this tournament last year. To win tournaments in the United States is special,” Saso said. “I’m happy and so thankful.”
Saso took the lead for good on the 12th hole and fought off Castle down the stretch. Both players birdied the 351yard, par4 17th as Saso maintained her twostroke edge.
“I’m proud of the way I played this week,” said the 18yearold Castle, who will play golf at the University of Kentucky in the fall. “I was 46th last year so I didn’t expect to be runnerup.”
Saso, who won the 2018 and 2019 Philippines Ladies Open, has now qualified into the 2nd Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship with this victory.
From the moment the 18yearold Saso sat on her couch in Manila with her dad and saw LPGA golfer Paula Creamer on TV, she knew she wanted to be a professional golfer one day.
While she added karate, baseball and basketball to her athletic resume, golf was still No. 1.
Coached by her dad, Masakazu Saso, Yuka played golf at fabled Pinehurst in North Carolina at age 10. She was in the IMG World Championship at Torrey Pines at age 12.
Yuka Saso, who fulfills her academic requirements through an online school in Japan, will go to the LPGA Tour School to try to qualify to play on the LPGA Tour.
If she doesn’t turn pro, she will play golf at the University of Georgia in the fall.
It was a good week for a number of Connecticut and Westchester County golfers at the 5904yard, par 70 Keney Park, known for its undulating greens. The 2019 Boys Junior PGA Championship will be at Keney Park July 30August 2.
Maisie Filler, who lived in Bloomfield until moving to Florida after middle school, had a final round 68 to tie for 16th in the field of 76 at 2underpar 276.
Katie Dzialga of Greenwich posted a final round 70 to tie for 33rd at 1over 281. Julia Kashimura, a student at Taft School in Watertown had a final round 72 to tie for 64th at 290. She also served as translator for Mr. Saso with the media.
Sophia Sarrazin, the 14yearold MVP of the Staples High School girls golf team, made the secondround cut by two shots and finished at 300.
“My first two days were great. This field was so tough. You needed your best to stay,” Sarrazin said. “It was a great opportunity and cool experience for me.”
Sarrazin will play in the Borck Tournament on July 30 at Brooklawn CC as well as an AJGA event in Redding and the Northern Jr. Girls Tournament in New Haven.
Alice Hodge of Larchmont, N.Y. (final round 71, 284) tied for 44th. Kaitlyn Lee of Scarsdale, N.Y. (final round 70, 290, tie 64th) will play for the Yale University women’s golf team in the fall.