After a very unpredictable weather in Saitama left its imprint on the tournament, the 2020 Olympic women’s golf event finally closed with Yuka Saso finishing in a share of ninth place, at the Kasumigaseki Country Club, Saturday.
“I was just glad that I was able to finish well,’ Saso told MVP Sports Foundation ambassador Gretchen Ho.
USA’s Nelly Korda took home the gold medal after ending with a 17-under, but not without a scare from the impressive runs of Japan’s Inami Mone and New Zealand’s Lydia ko in the final day.
Inami and Ko went for the jugular in the final round with 6-under and both eventually ended in a share of second place with 16-under, forcing a playoff for the silver.
Inami ultimately pocketed the silver for the hosts after taking the par-4 No. 18 in the shoot-off, while Ko needed an extra hit to settle for the bronze.
Saso ended her Olympic debut on a rousing note, coming from behind from a share of 47th place then coasting into the last three rounds. The 20-year-old carded a 3-under, 4-under, and 6-under in the said rounds to end with a 10-under overall.
“Yung grass, kailangan ko masanay pa kaya nag-struggle ako dun. After the first round, nakuha ko yung feel. That helped me for today. Medyo yung hangin, mahirap tantsahin yung distance,” Saso remarked about the course.
Still, it was a good experience for the young Filipina golfer.
“I’ve learned so much from the players that I played with. Overall, it was a good experience. It made me think that I need to practice more,” she said.
Bianca Pagdanganan took a huge leap in the opening round, but then struggled in the last three rounds especially in the final round. With the effort, she ended a 1-over 285 to end her own first Olympic appearance at t-43rd.
