She once trailed by two shots on final hole and still became Asian champ. | musongINQ
Fast forward three years later and Saso is the best in the world.
It didn’t seem like all was well at the start of the fourth round, though, as Yuka fell six shots behind Lexi Thompson after double bogeys at Nos. 2 and 3. But her resolve showed for the rest of the round, as birdies on the par-5 16th and 17th holes pulled her level with Thompson and Hataoka before the popular American failed to make it a three-way playoff with a par putt that was horribly short from 10 feet.
“I don’t know what’s happening in the Philippines right now, but I’m just thankful that there’s so many people in the Philippines cheering for me,” said Saso, whose professional resume includes two Japan LPGA victories but no wins on the US LPGA tour. “I don’t know how to thank them. They gave me so much energy. I want to say thank you to everyone.”
Gibson couldn’t be specific. It was understandable why. The Philippines would be playing golf-crazy countries in Asia like Japan, South Korea and China, which, at that time, was backstopped by world’s 28th-ranked amateur in Liu Wenbo. Faced with a 210-yard second shot from the middle of the fairway to a very small target, Saso confidently pulled out a 4-iron, straightened herself for the shot and uncorked a beautifully struck shot.
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