LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Yuka Saso became a U.S. Women’s Open champion for the second time Sunday and took her place in history with a rare footnote — the first Filipino to win the Women’s Open in 2021, and now the first from Japan to win women’s golf’ biggest event.
No matter the flag, the 22-year-old Saso delivered a masterful performance at Lancaster Country Club with a 2-under 68. She ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine amid a series of collapses and won without much drama.
Saso got up-and-down for par from short of the 18th green to finish at 4-under 276, winning by three shots over Hinako Shibuno, who in 2019 became the first Japanese player to capture the Women’s British Open.
They were the only two players under par, the fewest for the Women’s Open in 10 years. Saso’s only other LPGA Tour victory was the Women’s Open at Olympic Club in 2021. She also has two titles on the Japan LPGA.
Andrea Lee, part of a three-way tie for the lead at the start of this wild day, was the last player who had a chance to catch Saso. But the Stanford alum, a former No. 1 amateur, badly missed her tee shot on the easy 16th and had to settle for par, then took bogey on the 17th. Lee took one last bogey on the 18th for a 75 to tie for third with Ally Ewing (66).
Saso has said she wishes she could play for two flags — her mother is from the Philippines, her father from Japan. She decided to switch citizenship before turning 21, and Saso wound up leading a strong showing by Japan — five players among the top 10.
Saso won $2.4 million from the $12 million purse, the largest in women’s golf and in women’s sports at a standalone venue. The victory also put Saso in position to return to the Olympics — she played for the Philippines in 2021 in the Tokyo Games.
PGA TOUR
HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — Robert MacIntyre, with father Dougie at his side as his caddie, held on to win the RBC Canadian Open for his first PGA Tour title.
Four strokes ahead entering the final round at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, MacIntyre shot a 2-under 68 to beat playing partner Ben Griffin by a stroke. On the par-4 18th, the 27-year-old Scottish left-hander two-putted for par from 12 feet, holing out from 1 1/2 feet.
MacIntyre finished at 16-under 264 for the breakthrough victory in his 45th career PGA Tour start. The former McNeese State player was a member of Europe’s winning 2023 Ryder Cup team and has two European tour victories, the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown and 2022 Italian Open.
Griffin had a 65. He parred the 18th after birdieing the previous three holes.
Corey Conners was the top Canadian, shooting a 65 finish sixth at 12 under. Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.
EUROPEAN TOUR
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Englishman Laurie Canter held his nerve and overcame three bogeys for a 1-under 72 to win the European Open by two shots.
Canter, who had two appearances on LIV Golf this year before Anthony Kim was signed to join the Saudi-funded league, started the day in a two-way tie with Italy’s Guido Migliozzi.
Migliozzi’s challenge fizzled with a 78, but Canter was under pressure from others after playing his first 10 holes in 1 over. Thriston Lawrence of South Africa and Bernd Wiesberger of Austria were both making moves on the back nine.
Canter, 34, recovered with three birdies on his way in to finish with an overall 13-under 279 to capture his first European tour title.
Keita Nakajima, the former world No. 1 amateur and winner this year of the Hero Indian Open was briefly tied for the lead until bogeys on the two par 5s on the back nine dropped him to sixth place, four shots behind.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ernie Els won the Principal Charity Classic for his fourth career PGA Tour Champions victory, closing with a 7-under 65 at Wakonda Club to beat defending champion Stephen Ames by two strokes.
Tied with Rod Pampling for the second-round lead, Els eagled the par-5 15th and had five birdies in his bogey-free final round. The 54-year-old Hall of Famer from South Africa finished at 21-under 195.
Ames shot 66. He leads the tour with two victories this season.
Bernard Langer tied for third at 17 under after a 68. Making his fourth start since returning from an Achilles injury, the 66-year-old German star is the tour’s career victory leader with 46.
Pampling (69) and David Duval (67) also were 17 under.
KORN FERRY TOUR
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) —Kaito Onishi of Japan won the UNC Health Championship for his first Korn Ferry Tour title, surviving a final-hole bogey for a one-stroke victory over Max McGreevy.
Onishi, the 25-year-old former University of Southern California player, closed with a 4-under 66 to finish at 8-under 272 at Raleigh Country Club., He also won the Japan Tour’s 2022 Fujisankei Classic.
McGreevy shot 68. Nelson Ledesma had a 73 to finish third at 5 under.
OTHER TOURS
Ye Won Lee closed with an 8-under 64 for a three-shot victory in the Suhyup Bank MBN Ladies Open, her third Korea LPGA title of the year and her second in her last three starts. Her other was a runner-up in Match Play. Lee chose to turn down her exemption to play in the U.S. Women’s Open this week. … Perine Delacour of France closed with a 5-under 67 and defeated German amateur Helen Briem (64) in a playoff to win the Dormy Open in Sweden on the Ladies European Tour. … Hina Arakaki capped off a three-shot victory in the Yonex Ladies with a 2-under 70 in the final round for her first Japan LPGA victory in six years.
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