Asian games gold medalist takes home P6.58M prize money
Asian Games gold medalist Yuka Saso finally won in the Japan LPGA Tour as she fired a 9-under par 63 to rule the NEC Karuizawa Tournament Sunday in Kitasaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture.
Saso highlighted her Day 3 performance with an eagle on par five 16 to go with seven birdies in a bogey free round to take home the top prize of approximately P6.58 million (14.4 million yen).
Aside from the lucrative prize money, Saso – a rookie in the Tour – earned the distinction as the first Filipino golfer to capture a championship in the tough Japan LPGA Tour.
After she opened the final round with a par, the 19-year-old Filipino-Japanese converted back-to-back birdies on 2 and 3, and two holes later, she birdied on 6 before another two straight on 8 and 9 at the turn.
It was actually three consecutive birdies for Saso as she drilled in one on 10 then had her last one on 14.
Saso finished 16-under 200 in the three-day tournament for a 4-shot victory over local bets Maiko Wakabashi and Saika Fujita, who were tied for second and third at 12-under 204, followed by Chie Arimura and Mao Saigo at 205 and 206, respectively.
Saso, who also led the Philippine women’s team to a gold medal finish in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, shot an opening round 65, and then carded an even par 72 in the second round.