There was something very Kipling-esque about Yuka Saso’s second U.S. Women’s Open win on Sunday, for the 22-year-old with Japanese citizenship managed to keep her head while so many around her were losing theirs.
She started the final day at Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Country Club in fifth place, 2-under-par and three back of the three-way 54-hole lead shared by Andrea Lee from the U.S., multiple major-championship winner Minjee Lee of Australia and Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai. But while those three struggled through the front nine, shooting 4-over, 2-over and 5-over, respectively, Saso gained ground by turning in 1-over 36, and doing so in spite of a four-putt on the testy, par-3 sixth.
Then, she went on a tear, carding the first of four birdies in a five-hole stretch at No. 12 and finishing bogey-par for back-nine score of 32 and a final-day tally of 2-under 68.
Perhaps her most impressive shot Sunday afternoon was the 3-wood she used to drive the green on the 16th hole, a well-bunkered par-4 that measured 232 yards. After two-putting for her last birdie of the day to go 5-under, Saso gave herself some breathing room as she played Nos. 17 and 18.
Saso ended up with a 72-hole score of 276, which was 4-under and three shots clear of runner-up Hinako Shibuno of Japan. Americans Ally Ewing and Andrea Lee tied for third at 280.
“I tried to be very patient today,” Saso said after her triumph in the 79th U.S. Women’s Open, which was the second one held at Lancaster, where In Gee Chun won the 2015 edition. “That is what you need to win a major like this.”
With her victory at Lancaster, Saso, at 22 years, 11 months and 13 days of age, became the youngest player to win two U.S. Women’s Opens.
She also spoke about prevailing in another U.S. Women’s Open and what that meant to her.
“When I won in 2021 and was representing the Philippines, I was trying to give back to my [Filipina] mother,” she said, citing her former dual citizenship she was forced to reliquish when she turned 22. “This year, I was representing Japan [the country of her father] and was able to give back to my dad. It is a very wonderful feeling to be able to give back to my parents in the same way.”
Saso turned pro in 2019 after being medalist in that year’s Girls’ Junior PGA. She was only 19 years old in the summer of 2021 when she matched Inbee Park to the day as the youngest champion in U.S. Women’s Open history after defeating Nasa Hataoka in a three-hole aggregate playoff at San Francisco’s Olympic Club.
She also padded her bank account considerably, as the winner’s share of the $12 million purse came to $2.4 million.
The par-70, William Flynn-designed course at Lancaster gave many of the best female golfers in the world fits, and some very big names missed the cut. World No. 1 Nelly Korda and No. 6 Rose Zhang of America, No. 11 Brooke Henderson of Canada and No. 14 Lydia Ko of New Zealand were among those who were finished by late Friday.
Another competitor of note who missed the cut was Lexi Thompson, who arrived at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open ranked 54th – and who announced her retirement from full-time competitive golf at the end of the year in a pre-tournament press conference.
It was especially shocking to see Korda, who has six wins in eight events this year, and Ko sign for 10-over 80s the first day of play – and to watch Korda post a septuple-bogey 10 on the par-3 12th. That hole also caused trouble for Ko, who doubled it during her opening round, and Henderson, who recorded a 5 of her own there on Thursday.
No. 12 turned out to be something of a house of horrors for much of the field for Round One, with its 3.8 strokes average being higher than any other on the course.
It also produced wait times on the tee that lasted as long as 50 minutes. According to a report in Golfweek, the delays were so lengthy that competitor Rachel Rohanna even found time before her tee shot to help her husband, who was in the gallery with their family, change the diaper of their 8-month-old daughter. Showing terrific grace under pressure, Rohanna then went on to par the hole.
Like Saso, she found a way to keep her wits at Lancaster in even the most tension-filled times.
John Steinbreder