In this exclusive interview last year, the year-old talks about her ambitious goals and how she's inspired by Rory McIlroy. Her thrilling victory at the US Open on Sunday evening as she bested Japan's Hataoka Nasa in the third hole of a sudden death playoff has changed the game for an entire country. The first golfer male or female to win a Major. Saso worked hard on her swing, watching countless golf videos and knew what she wanted from a young age: "When I was nine I said to my dad, I want to be a professional golfer like Rory [McIlroy]. Her father and life coach Masakazu - a very good golfer himself - didn't laugh, he took his daughter seriously and took her back to the Philippines at nine, where Yuka could home-school, play golf every day and work towards her dream. Saso has been praised by former World No. Now Saso is once more clear about what she wants: To bring joy to Filipinos by becoming their first ever World No.
Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow misses cut in San Francisco
Main navigation
The Cinderella story of New Jersey high school student and overnight co-leader Megha Ganne seemed like it was destined to come crashing back to earth after two early bogeys in her morning round. But the year-old amateur proved she is full of fight, mixing three birdies with bogeys to grab a share of third with fellow American Megan Khang , who she will be paired with on Saturday. Ganne, who received encouragement from New Jersey governor Phil Murphy on Twitter on Friday, has committed to attend nearby Stanford University next year. The shot proved to be a momentum shifter for the American, who nailed two more birdies and avoided any bogeys the rest of the way to sit one over par for the tournament and still very much in the mix. A dangerous group of experienced players lurk not far behind the leaders including time LPGA tour winner Shanshan Feng of China, who is in fifth place after two solid rounds. Seven-time Major winner Inbee Park, time LPGA tour winner Lexi Thompson and overnight co-leader Mel Reid are knotted at two-under in a share for sixth place and it would come as no surprise if any one of them were hoisting the trophy on Sunday. Her total of eight over was two shots outside the cut.
Featured athletes
Saso hoisted the trophy on the eighth green, and tears of joy slipped down her cheeks when she saw her national flag raised by a crowd of Filipinos. The ride to her U. Women's Open victory was exactly how it should be — an absolute mental grind. Saso made back-to-back doubles, at Nos. Lexi Thompson, who began the day one shot ahead, was 1 under at the turn and four shots ahead of Shanshan Feng, who at the time was 4 under. The tables turned on No. Saso had a chance. Saso then birdied No. A playoff at a U.
Saso overcame back-to-back double bogeys early in the round to make the playoff. She then won it with a foot putt on the ninth hole to become the first player from the Philippines to win a golf major. Both players made pars at holes 9 and 18 in the two-hole aggregate playoff, sending the tournament to sudden death back at the ninth hole. That set the stage for Saso to win it just up the road from Daly City, dubbed the Pinoy Capital of the United States for its large population of Filipinos. Thompson, who had a five-stroke lead after the eighth hole, played the final seven holes in 5 over to finish a stroke back. High school junior Megha Ganne played in the final group but shot 77 and finished 3 over as the low amateur for the tournament. Saso overcame a rough start to the final round with double bogeys on the second and third holes that seemed to knock her out of contention but she managed to steady herself with a birdie at number 7. Saso then made back-to-back birdies on the par-5 16th and 17th holes to get to 4 under and join Hataoka in the playoff.
