Yuka Saso becomes the 1st Filipino to win a golf major title

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Filipina-Japanese prized golfer Yuka Saso shocked the world and bagged the 76th US Women’s Open golf championship held at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

The 19-year-old sensation tied Park Imbee of South Korea as the youngest champion to ever take home a major title at 19 years, 11 months, and 17 days.

“I’d like to thank my family, I wouldn’t be here without them. To all my sponsors and to all my friends and fans back in the Philippines and Japan, I’m so thankful,” said Saso.

Saso’s road to US Open glory wasn’t easy after opening her campaign with two early double bogeys that put her in a difficult position.

The Filipina was then quick to recover from her back-to-back bogeys with a straight birdie and a par standing in the last three holes of the fourth round.

American Lexi Thompson looked to be in full control of the match who led by four strokes but unexpectedly shattered on the back nine.

The Thompson collapse gave Saso a bright spot in clinching the title with a tightly-contested third hole sudden death against Japan’s Nasa Hataoka.

Eventually, Saso was able to overcome the pressure and complete the comeback to raise the US Open trophy.