Yuka Saso attempted to rescue her campaign from the back end, but could only manage an even 288 for a share of 39th place as the 2021 AIG Women’s Open concluded at the Carnoustie Links, Sunday.
The 20-year-old Filipino-Japanese could not arrest her slide as she registered a 3-over 75 for her final day — her toughest score in the tournament. Nonetheless, Saso still earned $30,583 (P1,536,046.47) and gained experience in her first season of links golf.
The final day started on the back foot for the world no. 8, as she opened the round with no less than a double bogey in hole No. 1. Two more dropped shots — one each from Nos. 3 and 5 — pushed Saso further down, but she managed to take her second birdie the hole after to go to 2-over.
Saso’s day then could not have gotten any worse. She found No. 9 a tough crack for the day, needing not just one or two, but three extra shots to deal with it. She headed into the turn with a gloomy 5-over score line — or 2-over in total.
The 2018 Asian Games double gold medalist used the small break to regroup, and it showed in her take of the last nine holes of her campaign.
Despite getting another bogey in No. 10, which saw her dive into a 3-over in the tournament, Saso registered back-to-back birdies in the next two holes to start her comeback.
She attempted to gain more shots in the final six holes, and managed one in No. 14 to end the tournament back where she started three days ago — at even par.
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist won her third major LPGA title after fending off England’s Georgia Hall’s surge in the final day. She took it in with a solitary stroke advantage over Hall and compatriot Madelene Sagstrom and USA’s Lizette Salas with 12-over 276; and walked away with the $870,000 (P 43,691,835.00) winner’s prize.
As for Saso, she kept her place inside the top 60 of the year-end CME Globe Championship tournament rankings despite a slide of three spots from no. 24 to 27.
