U.S. Girls’s Open: Yuka Saso makes historical past, conquers Lancaster’s again 9

Yuka Saso’s hopes of profitable a second U.S. Girls’s Open nearly evaporated on the sixth inexperienced on Sunday. She four-putted for a double bogey, which frazzled her and dropped her again to 1-under for the championship.

“That gap may be very troublesome. The pin place that that they had was very troublesome,” Saso stated of the sixth.

“I discovered a lot about that gap. I’ll attempt not to try this once more.”

Fortunately for her, she didn’t four-putt once more. As a substitute, Saso grew to become the youngest two-time main champion in historical past, due to 4 birdies she made on the again 9—a stretch that Brandel Chamblee of NBC Sports activities known as, “one of the crucial spectacular performances he has ever seen at a U.S. Open.”

The primary par-breaker got here on the now notorious par-3 twelfth gap. In fact, Nelly Korda made a stunning 10 early Thursday, ending her hopes for a second main title.

Whereas Saso, at 22 years outdated, appeared like the very best participant on this planet late on Sunday. After her mistake on the sixth, she steadied herself with 5 straight pars between the seventh and eleventh holes—a stretch that features a few of Lancaster Nation Membership’s most difficult holes.

Picture by Patrick Smith/Getty Photos

Then got here her barrage of birdies. Saso caught her tee shot at 12 to 10 ft, and calmly rolled within the putt to get again to 2-under. She made so many large putts all week, and this one at 12, which has one of many hardest greens on the course, gave her an enormous dose of momentum.

Saso wound up main the sector in strokes gained placing, as her putter—outdoors of the sixth gap—was her finest pal all week.

One other birdie on the par-5 thirteenth adopted, which put her in a tie for the lead with 5 holes to play.

Saso then made one of many extra spectacular birdies of the day on the par-4 fifteenth, a 453-yard dogleg proper. She hit her method from 190 yards to 5 ft to get to 4-under. One other birdie on the drivable par-4 sixteenth adopted.

Immediately, Saso sat at 5-under with a agency grasp of the championship. Inside minutes, this U.S. Girls’s Open went from being up for grabs to Saso’s present.

“I simply tried to be very affected person on the market,” Saso stated afterward.

“I feel that’s what you want to do to win a significant like this. Simply have enjoyable taking part in with the taking part in companions and benefit from the problem.”

She dropped a shot on the par-3 seventeenth, which gave her a two-shot lead going into the ultimate gap, nevertheless it was throughout by then.

Saso sealed her victory with a par on 18, which sealed a 2-under 68—her third under-par spherical of the week. Contemplating solely two gamers completed in pink figures for the championship, Saso put forth an awe-inspiring efficiency.

Remarkably, Saso joins In Gee Chun, who received at Lancaster in 2015, and Se Ri Pak as the one two gamers to win main championships of their first two LPGA victories.

Chris Keane/USGA

However if you happen to recall 2021, when Saso received the U.S. Girls’s Open at The Olympic Membership, she donned the Filipino flag. Now, she represents Japan.

“I really feel like I used to be capable of give again to my mother,” Saso stated when discussing her win three years in the past.

“This 12 months, I used to be capable of symbolize Japan, and I feel I used to be capable of give again to my dad. I’m very completely satisfied that I used to be capable of do it. It’s only a fantastic feeling that I used to be capable of give again to my dad and mom in the identical manner.”

Saso’s mom is from the Philippines, whereas her father is Japanese. She is a citizen of each international locations, however beginning in 2022, she determined to don the Japanese flag to maintain her twin citizenship intact.

Regardless, her win in Central Pennsylvania shall be felt throughout Asia, as Saso grew to become the primary participant to win the U.S. Girls’s Open beneath two totally different flags. Her win additionally makes her the primary Japanese participant to win the largest match in girls’s golf. However the nation of Japan shined as a complete on this match, as six gamers from Japan completed within the high 12.

But, no one performed higher than Saso, who conquered Lancaster’s troublesome again 9 to elevate the Harton S. Semple trophy as soon as once more.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. Make sure to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.