Not the comeback she dreamt of.
Yuka Saso had her toughest day, eventually ending at 3-under 285 and a share of 22nd place at the conclusion of the 2021 JLPGA TOTO Japan Classic at the Seta Golf Course North Course in Shiga, Sunday afternoon.
Saso registered a 2-over 74 for the day, resulting in a slip outside the top 20 and a ¥2,263,800 (P1,004,853.65) payday.
The highest-ranked golfer in the field at world number 6, she did just enough in the past two rounds to find herself near the top 10. But a blunder early in the day saw her with a downer of a result.
Saso could not get her bearings in the front nine, instead settling for pars for most of the said end. And instead of gaining shots, she needed not just one but two more shots on No. 5. Fortunately, she was able to make a birdie on No. 9 for the 1-over 36 before the turn.
The double bogey, however, turned out to be the deciding factor as her three bogeys in the backside were only canceled by two birdies from Nos. 13 and 18. That resulted in yet another dropped shot for a 1-over 38 on the side, and the 2-over overall for the day.
Ayaka Furue consolidated her move on the previous round with another flawless outing on the day to take the win and the Y33-million (P14,648,012.43) winner’s prize.
Saso, on her part, will fly back to the United States for her last two tournaments in the LPGA calendar for the Pelican’s Women’s Championships and the year-end CME Globe Championships.
